


The Neck Romancer

by cattheneko, Oniphobia



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Canonical Character Death, How Do I Tag, M/M, Magic, Necromancy, Slow Build, Superheroes, Supernatural Elements, Vampire Gerard Way, Vampires, and it's kinda the whole reason everything ends up happening so yes it's important, but it's in the beginning and it's not any of the main band members so there's at least that, the major character death tag is technically "canon"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-05-18 04:04:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14845373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cattheneko/pseuds/cattheneko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oniphobia/pseuds/Oniphobia
Summary: When Gerard Way is born a vampire due to complications from his grandmother's past and tragedy strikes, he must figure out how to live as a non-human surrounded by humans, and in the process, maybe save the world with his friends. (It kind of turns into the Avengers, only the leader is a nerdy vampire with trust issues, and the Hulk is basically a big, green raptor. But hey, at least we have Mikey. And Frank is... Well, you'll see.)Chapter specific warnings will be added at the beginning of the chapters.ON HIATUS BUT NOT ABANDONEDWritten by Oniphobia (@oniphobia on the KILLJOYS (My Chemical Romance) amino https://aminoapps.com/c/mcr/home/ and @oniphobia on the Neck romancer amino https://aminoapps.com/c/NeckRomancer/home/ )Co-written by cattheneko (@UDontSay on the KILLJOYS (My Chemical Romance) amino https://aminoapps.com/c/mcr/home/and @Neccboi on the Neck romancer amino https://aminoapps.com/c/NeckRomancer/home/ )Based off the MCR superhero challenge made by Ashton Way from the KILLJOYS (My Chemical Romance) amino.





	1. Origins: ONE

Donna paced irritably around the living room, opening and closing her mouth as if finally starting to say something then changing her mind last minute. Her mother patiently waited for her to say _anything_ as she sipped her morning coffee. Elena had received a distressed call from her daughter early that morning; it had been mostly incoherent screaming and sobbing, but Elena had deciphered one key word from all of it: Gerard.

Elena finished her last drop of her coffee and set the cup on top of the table while letting out a sigh. “Well, dear, aren’t you gonna say something?” she attempted to start the conversation with gently.

“I- it’s just…” Donna started to scratch her neck, distressed. “That thing!” she exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the crib situated in the corner of the room.

The elder woman could only raise an eyebrow in confusion and worry. “Your son? What about him?”

“My ‘ _son_ ?’ Is he _really_ ?!” Donna shrilled. “I thought he was just sick during the first few weeks. His pulse was so close to nonexistent, and his body grew colder and colder like- like a _corpse_ . I- I thought my baby was dying… Till he- he grew _fangs_ . That, that _thing_ is not my child!” Tears started to well up in her distraught eyes. “It’s a _monster_ ,” she spat, fear and disgust laced in every syllable.

Elena shook her head in disbelief. “Donna… whatever’s happening with Gerard, he _is_ still your child. You have to accept him as he is; that is your duty as a parent. I’m _sure_ you’re simply overreacting, and besides, he’s still just a baby. It’s not like he’s doing anyone any harm-”

“I didn’t give birth to a filthy _abomination_!” Donna cut her mother off harshly, not allowing any room for her mother’s sickly sweet parental speech as she grew more and more frantic by the second.

“He is not a monster!” Elena snapped, finally raising her voice. “What are you even trying to tell me, Donna?” She let out a sigh. “I know being a parent can be hard to deal with, and you’re new to this whole thing so you don’t really know what to do, but I’m here for you, sweety, if you need help raising him! You know you can always depend on me.” A hopeful undertone was abundant in her voice as she searched for some inkling of acceptance in her daughter’s teary eyes, but Donna furiously shook her head as anger clouded her mind.

“No… No, you don’t fucking _understand_!”

“Then make me!” Elena pleaded. “Make me understand!”

“I,” Donna swallowed, resolve hardening in her eyes, “I don’t want that _freak_ . Kill it, throw it away, abandon it at a goddamn orphanage, I don’t fucking _care_! Just. Get. Rid. Of. It.”

Elena was utterly heartbroken by the hatred she heard coming from her daughter’s mouth. As bad as it might have made _her_ , she honestly had to fight the strong urge to _slap_ Donna right across the face, but of course she knew she wouldn’t really, she _couldn’t_ really, especially not when she knew exactly why her daughter was upset, and when _Elena herself_ had had everything to do with it. She, Elena Lee Rush, was the root of this distress, the reason why her daughter was boiling with fear and anger, and the reason why her first-born grandson had been turned into a vampire. She ran her hands down her face anxiously. She really hadn’t thought this through as much as she had thought she had.

Forcing on a mask that hid her internal war of self-blame, Elena calmly thought of a solution, one that her daughter hopefully wouldn’t refuse. “If you don’t want him, I’ll just raise him on my own.” She shook her head with a more than disappointed sigh. “Killing your own _son_? Shame on you, Donna.” The younger woman looked ready to argue as Elena stood up and approached the crib. “I don’t want him to be raised by someone like you anyway.” She was lying to herself and her daughter, and it stung. If only she had thought this through better. She wanted her daughter to have the opportunity to raise the child more than anything, but she couldn’t risk this any further. She had to keep them both safe, from themselves and from the secrets.

“If you leave with that thing, consider yourself removed from this family!” Donna attempted to threaten her mother into compliance, but she knew it was useless; her mother never went back on her words. Elena could only raise her middle finger to this attempt at blackmail. Donna knew that her mother had made up her mind, and she chose the hellsent creature Donna got for a child over Donna herself, _Elena’s_ own child. It felt like a stab in the back and a stab in the heart at the same time.

There must have have been a reason behind her mother’s decision — there always was — but she just couldn’t understand it, and truthfully, she didn’t want to. Not now, not ever. Elena had made her choice. Fine then; Donna made her choice, too. “ _Stay out of our lives_!” she screamed through her cascading tears.

“Gladly,” Elena replied, fighting her own tears as she cradled the baby safely in her arms, ready to take full responsibility of the price she finally had to repay from years ago after she had bought that damn _book._

“And-”

“Oh just shut the fuck up already, Donna,” she sighed resignedly. Words didn’t matter anymore. It was one of Elena’s worst fears coming true right in front of her. She just hoped to Hell neither her daughter nor her grandson would ever have to find out why and how this happened _._ “Goodbye, my child,” she whispered. Elena didn’t even turn around to face her daughter one last time before she walked out the front door, slamming it shut with the force of her thousand churning emotions. This was going to lead to possibly world shattering turns of events; she could feel it in her guts.

_May fate be benevolent to the little child she held closely to her heart. May the world be benevolent to Gerard._


	2. Origins: TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some domestic stuff for yall ;^)

Elena had just gone through one of the most life changing chapters of her life, but it was fine; everything was fine so far. She had moved with a child that was barely one year old into a different neighborhood with less people. Was it for their safety, or their safety? It was best to not dwell on that thought.

  
Elena was out in her little indoor garden planting various vegetables. It wouldn’t be long before Gerard’s body started rejecting his baby formula and craved blood instead. She just hoped that her theory of feeding Gerard a vegan diet composed of iron-rich vegetables and fruits could overpower the instinct to feed on blood. She sighed to herself, ‘What’s the use, then, of having mastered the recipes for pot roasts and steaks?’ It may have seemed childish, but who could blame her? Steak was really good. Shame.

  
A small rattling sounded as it approached the garden room, snapping Elena from her thoughts. “Who’s there?” she asked, peeking through the door, a hand trowel in hand for some sense of protection.

  
Sitting in the hallway was just a confused little baby, though. Upon seeing his grandma, glee replaced his confusion, and he crawled quickly towards Elena.

  
“Oh pumpkin, what’re you doing up? You’re supposed to be taking your nap- Wait.” She picked little Gerard up. “How did you escape your crib?” Her question was just answered by a drool-induced giggle from the little one on her arms. “Of course you’re delighted with yourself.” Elena rolled her eyes playfully as she wiped off the drool on Gerard’s face. “You grow faster and stronger than a normal human, of course! Why haven’t I thought of that?” she groaned.

  
A pair of curious eyes stared at the vegetation she had been working on and then at her as if asking her what they were. “Well, you’re here anyway, and I doubt you’ll go back to sleep any time soon.” She smiled fondly at the child. “Might as well show you what I’m working on.

  
“All right Gee, those green, ball like plants right there, those are lettuce. They’re really good, believe me.” She placed him down to let him examine the plant closer. “And those red, round ones next to them are tomatoes.” Gerard turned around to look at them, eyes fixated on the fruit like a moth to a light, and with his little hands he reached up and picked one from the vine and quickly punctured it with his fangs, the juice squirting out everywhere. The child laughed and waved the now deflated tomato in his hand before throwing it across the room.

  
“O-oh dear” Elena muttered as she frantically whipped up a cleaning spell and moved Gerard to her lap. “Please don’t- don’t do that again.” ‘Not to the tomatoes or anything else really.’ She was a little more than slightly alarmed at what had just happened. The baby couldn’t care less, not really aware of what actions he was doing.

  
Gerard, being the nosy child he was, wriggled his way out of Elena’s arms and proceeded to rummage through her gardening stuff. His attention was caught by the pack of seeds, mainly because of the rattling sound that it made. He gingerly took it and looked at Elena, seemingly expecting an explanation about the interesting thing in his tiny hands, as if he understood the words directed to him. Or maybe he just really liked his grandmother’s voice.

  
Elena, knowing his grandson’s quirks, moved closer to meet Gerard’s eyes. “Those, my little one, are pumpkin seeds.” The baby seemed to recognize his nickname and perked up with a mix of befuddlement and fascination as his pointy ears went askew. “Now, now, don’t be confused. They won’t grow into little Gerards.” Elena held out her hand, and Gerard obliged and handed over the seed packet. She then proceeded to take a few seeds and buried them in the makeshift plot of dirt in the room and muttered a little enchantment. Soon enough, plump pumpkins emerged in front of them.

  
“They only grow into those,” she smiled at the child who was clapping in amazement. Gerard crawled up to a pumpkin and circled around it, taking in the sight of the vegetable with the obnoxious orange colour before tackling it into a tight hug.

  
“I guess you like pumpkins more than I thought you would,” Elena laughed fondly. “I like pumpkins too, but you’re my favorite pumpkin, pumpkin.” She pinched Gerard’s cheek gently.

  
“I hate to break it to you, but your hug time with the pumpkin will have to be cut short. You have to continue your nap time, dear,” Elena apologized as she held up the baby and gently rocked him to sleep, “or else you’ll get really grumpy again like the last time.” She shook her head affectionately as she reminisced. It had ended with a row of curtains gnawed to shreds violently, a fish bowl set on fire, and a missing goldfish. The crack on the window suggested where it might’ve ended up, though.

  
_‘I can’t let that or anything worse happen again.’_


	3. Current Timeline: ONE

Gerard played with his new, red-tinted glasses as he flopped down lazily across his brother’s sofa, legs resting on top of Mikey’s who was sitting upright while fiddling with his phone. He was doing his mandatory, weekly annoy-my-baby-brother visit at Mikey’s little apartment. It had started ever since he found out that a villain’s hideout was around Mikey’s neighborhood; it was a great excuse to hang out at his brother’s place while keeping tabs on the neighborhood.

“You know,” Gerard started as he propped himself up on his elbows, “I appreciate you worrying about my ‘secret identity’ but these glasses you’re giving me aren’t exactly going to hide it. Besides, everyone thinks lil’ old Gerard Way killed himself. Not a single person is going to suspect that it’s  _ me _ .”

Mikey rolled his eyes at his brother. “You’re declared  _ missing _ , not dead. Only some people think you killed yourself since you did ran off during… not so good times…” He let out a sigh. “Also, glasses  _ can _ hide identities. The first time I got mine, Ray didn’t recognise me!”

The vampire let out a chuckle. “Seriously? I thought he could actually find you in a room full of other people while blindfolded, like, identify you just by your breathing pattern.”

Mikey let out an uncomfortable laugh and punched his brother softly in the arm “Shut up! That’s weird and creepy a-and—”

“Not far from being true,” Gerard interjected with a smug face. “Oh, little brother, I know a budding relationship when I see one.”

The younger Way raised his eyebrow. “Oh yeah? How? You’ve never even had your first crush. How can you know ‘a budding relationship’ without ever having been in a relationship before? I’m starting to think I’m gonna have to be a best man at a wedding where you marry a bucket of blood, Gee.”

Gerard pouted. “Aw Mikes, don’t be like that to ya big bro. You know how hard it is to focus on the greater good of the citizens. Fighting crimes is a twenty-four seven job, you see—” His words were cut short by a throw pillow to the face.

“Bitch, please. You’re only nineteen, and you’ve only been doing this ‘hero’ thing for a year! You’re just making excuses!”

Gerard playfully hit his brother with the throw pillow for revenge. “Well, I’m sorry Michael I-Steal-the-Hearts-of-Every-Boy-and-Girl-I-Meet Way. I just can’t see myself being in a relationship just yet!”

Mikey stuck his tongue out and muttered, “Lame Nerd.”

Gerard stuck out his tongue back at him. “Yeah, well this ‘lame nerd’ is going to leave now to fight crimes _and to give my dearest wittle bwother some sweet alone time with his boyfriend_ ,” he purposely said the last bit louder as he stood up and stretched.

Mikey looked at him, perplexed. “Uh… what?”

Gerard giggled and waved his hand, making the front door open. Standing right behind it was a very flustered Ray Toro who immediately mouthed, “What the fuck?” at Gerard.

Mikey looked at Ray slack jawed. “Ray?! How long have you been standing there?”

Before Ray could even open his mouth, Gerard had replied in his place. “Relax, he was just there for a few seconds.” He walked towards the window. “I picked up a scent of his blood the moment he got out of the cab and entered the lobby. Thought I’d give you guys a little spook before I leave.”

His brother looked at him with an unamused expression. “Well, thank you for making things awkward with your little magic show, Gee.”

Gerard grinned as he climbed out the window and chirped, “You’re welcome!” And just like that, he vanished into the night.

“He could’ve just teleported away, y’know,” Ray muttered as he entered the room and closed the door behind him.

“Yeah, well, you know him. Such a drama queen.

“Anyways, how did  _ it _ go?” Mikey asked softly, going straight to the point.

Ray sighed and shook his head. “I still can’t find any information on what happened to him. It’s like he literally just dropped out of existence after the funeral and out of nowhere came back a year later, suddenly a crime fighting vigilante superhero- whatever that he is.” The curly haired man plopped down the sofa where Gerard had been sitting moments ago. “I still can’t figure out why we’ve got huge chunks of our memories gone,” he sighed. “I don’t know, man. I think… I think Gerard did this.”

Mikey shot him a puzzled look. “But why? Why would he even do that  _ if _ he actually did?”

Ray shrugged and scratched his head. “I mean, there’s gotta be a connection between missing memories and missing people. And he’s a vampire who can do magic for Pete’s sake!” he blurted out and inhaled sharply before closing his eyes and laying his head down.

Mikey’s face scrunched up as he tried to rack his brain. “I-if that theory is correct, wouldn’t that mean that he’s… hiding something? Why would he hide something from us?”

Ray’s brows furrowed. “I don’t think he’s doing it only to us. Even the other people who may have met him have little pieces of their memories missing.” He pulled his phone out from his pocket and looked at the notes that he had typed. “I talked to some of the folks around our old neighborhood… They said they’ve never heard of a person named Gerard who lived in that place.”

The two of them felt a heavy feeling spread across their bodies. Mikey tried his best to stay calm. “Does that mean we’re up for something much more complicated than a vampire running around the neighborhood?”

Ray chuckled lightly as nervousness tried to take over, “Yep, seems like it. We are up for something definitely bigger than that by the looks of it. I guess we’re pushing through with the back-up plan… Have you found the book Gee gave you on your twelfth birthday?”

Mikey nodded. “It’s on of my shelves by the comic books. What’s so special about it anyway? Why do we need it?” 

Ray looked at his friend weirdly, “You really didn’t believe Gee when he said it was an actual spellbook?”

Mikey meekly replied, “I thought it was just one of the Harry Potter spellbook merch that they sell around ebay.”

Ray snorted as he went to fetch the said book. “It’s not a Harry Potter merch. Come on, we gotta get you started on learning a few spells just in case we have to dive deeper into your brother’s… life? I mean, is he really alive?” 

Mikey shrugged. “Dude, how’ll you even teach me spells? It’s not like you kn- wait, you know how to use magic?”

Ray nodded as he flipped through the pages with an apologetic smile. “Yeah, my whole ancestry and all that have always dabbled with magic. Sorry to keep it from you, Mikey. It’s pretty much a rule to keep a low profile around non-magic users…” he trailed off. “Well, I could’ve told you about it sooner since your grandmother and brother have been dabbling with it for year now, but I had to promise them I wouldn’t. Please don’t get mad at me.” Ray muttered nervously.

The lanky boy with glasses pursed his lips. “Nah, I’m not mad. I guess, I just need to get used to my family keeping a fuck ton of secrets. Like how my parent kept my own brother a secret for example.” He stretched and cracked his knuckles. “I’ll just make sure that I’ll know what they’re hiding.” A grin crept up his face. It was so foreign and different to his usual poker face, but it suited him. “Let’s start up my training, shall we? I think I know the perfect day to confront our dearest Gerard, and it’s coming up soon.”

The curly haired man raised an eyebrow. “And when is this ‘perfect day’?” he asked bemusedly. 

_ “Let’s give him a fucking Happy Birthday he’ll never forget.” _


	4. Current Timeline: TWO

A little wisp of light emitted from a candle in the middle of a dark room; something felt off.

“Mikey?” Gerard called out softly as he tried finding a light switch, to no avail. He attempted to use his powers to at least try and get some light into the room, but he failed. He never failed. Never, except for that one time. 

A blinding flash of light suddenly filled the room, and Gerard used his arms to shield his eyes. His skin tingled and a rush of warmth flooded his body.

Voices. There were voices inside of his head. A soft and sweet one emerged from them all and proceeded to hum a tune so familiar it made his heart ache. The voice grew louder and louder, and the words became clearer; it sang, “If there's a place that I could be, then I'd be another memory. Can I be the only hope for you? Because you're the only hope for me… And if we can't find where we belong, we'll have to make it on our own, face all the pain and take it on, because the only hope for me is you alone.”

A sense of nostalgia clawed through Gerard, and tears started to stream down his ghostly pale face.

\--

Earlier that day at the younger Way’s apartment, Mikey was holding two little vials — one red and one blue — that held ominous looking liquids as he paced around near the door, nearly stumbling on his own awkward set of feet when a knock broke the silence of his home. He carefully glanced through the peep hole to see who it was. He quickly opened the door and closed it as soon as Ray got in with his box.

“You got the ingredients?” Mikey asked.Ray quickly nodded as he set the box on the table. “Fresh from the market. You have the potions?”

Mikey replied with a nod and held up the vials. “We should probably get started. If we ever fail baking, at least we have some time to re-do it.” He started to sort out the ingredients for the pie crust and the filling. “I really don’t know why he gets pumpkin pie for his birthday instead of a freaking cake like any other normal person.”

Ray snorted, “Like that unicorn cake you had for three consecutive birthdays?”

A blush crept up Mikey’s face as he tried to keep his cool demeanor “S-shut up… And for the record, the first one was rainbow with strawberry frosting, the second one was blue with funfetti, while the third one was blood red with black velvet. They have different themes so it’s okay, and besides,” Mikey looked at Ray dead in the eye, “Why are you making fun of me when you’re the one who enjoys the cakes more, Princess Cupcake?”

Ray gasped loudly as his face turned bright red before taking a fistful of flour and blowing it towards Mikey’s face.

“Hey!” Mikey coughed as he brushed off the flour that covered his face “It’s all over my glasses, asshole!” He wiped his glasses on his black Smashing Pumpkins shirt and groaned.

Ray tried to suppress a laugh and ended up sounding like a clogged up blender. “I’ll go get your apron,” he offered as he rummaged through the kitchen shelves.

“Can’t you clean up this shirt with magic? Man, I just recently got this shirt, it’s gonna get all ruined,” Mikey whined as he examined the shirt’s fabric.

“I didn’t really get to practice magic a lot with my abuela,” Ray replied as he dusted off the apron he found.

“Why the hell not?” Mikey raised an eyebrow as he made a few last brushes on his shirt before giving up.

“I was more interested in playing the guitar than ‘hocus pocus,’ y’know?” Ray said as he placed the apron on Mikey and tied the ribbon around his slender waist.

Mikey nodded and shrugged. “I can tell, I guess. You do kill it with the guitar.”

Ray grinned. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me the whole week, Thanks, Mikes.”

Mikey rolled his eyes and placed on his glasses “Don’t get used to it.”

The older man just laughed and they both started to do their work.

After they rested the pie crust, Mikey started working on the pumpkin filling on the stove. “So after this has simmered,” he stopped stirring, “I’ll just have to put in four drops of the one in the…?” He looked over at Ray who was re-reading the spellbook by the countertop, asking just to make sure.

“The one in the red, then we stir in three teaspoons of crushed up dried stevia leaves in hot water and add in two drops of the blue one in each of our cups.”

Mikey nodded and carefully added the drops into the creamy mixture. “Hopefully this won’t add any additional flavor to give it away…”

Ray looked at him nervously “It says here that the red one has a really sweet taste with faint mintiness while the blue one is … acidic. Hopefully he won’t notice the extra kicks- his senses are really enhanced.”

Mikey gulped. 

“We’re going to see all the vital memories that can answer all of the questions we have, even those that are magically concealed. This is very much like, breaching the privacy and intellectual property of a person, Mikey.” Ray dragged his hand along the pages, a worried look plastered on his face. “And the thing is, Gerard will see everything that we see. He’ll know once the potion wears off that we did this. No offense, but did you think this through? I know I was on board with this plan of yours from the start, but maybe I should’ve been the one to pick the spell and plan since you’re not that experienced with these stuff yet—”

Mikey signaled Ray to stop talking. “I know what I’m doing. It’s completely fine if he finds out we did this. If he’s innocent, he’ll know why we did it, and maybe he’ll help us find the answers. If he’s guilty of the whole missing memories, we’ll know why and we’ll just explain ourselves to him. He’s Gerard, he can get mad at me, or us, but he’s my brother and you’re also his friend; he wouldn’t  _ hurt _ us.”

Ray sighed, “I hope you’re right about all of that.” 

A couple of minutes later, Gerard arrived just in time after the two boys had cooled down the pumpkin pie from the oven and made their drinks that smelled a lot like hot lemonade. “Greetings, my favorite humans! The birthday man has arrived!” he loudly announced as he busted open the door, startling the two in the process.

“Do you really have to be that dramatic?” Mikey sighed and glared at his brother.Gerard grinned. “Is that really the way you’ll greet your favorite big bwother? C’mere you whiny baby and give me my birthday hug!” The vampire spread open his arms wide open.

Mikey groaned loudly but obliged, walking towards his brother with caution and giving him probably the most awkward sibling hug in existence before getting engulfed in a bear hug; Gerard was such a great hugger. 

He was humming and smiling to himself before he stopped and stared at Ray in the eyes “You,” he addressed the fro man, Ray gulped and visibly became tense. “Don’t just stand there and hug me.” Gerard reached out his right hand and grabbed him in the arm. Ray had no other choice but to hug him and Mikey. He sighed and giggled away his nervousness.

After staying in place for a few seconds, Mikey patted Gerard on the back. “Okay, enough hugs. I know you’re just sucking in our warmth you big cold piece of vamp meat.”

Gee pouted and released the two. “Aw, Mikey, you’re no fun. It was cold outside.”

Mikey rolled his eyes, “And so is your skin, dummy. Have mercy on our sensitive human skins.” 

“Sorry, sorry. Anyways, what do you guys have for me? Heard you guys were preparing something?” Gerard looked at them expectantly.

“Well,” Ray looked at Mikey, “Mikey wanted to hire some magicians, but I stopped him right before he drunk dialed the suspicious calling card that was handed to him few days back.” 

Gerard pouted. “B-but, I wanna see magician tricks.”

Mikey stifled a laugh. “You literally perform magic, Gee. Why the fuck do you want to see fake magic?”

The birthday boy crossed his arms, almost like a kid about to throw a tantrum. “I know, it’s just- well, a lot more fun when you’re just looking at other people do the tricks than you trying your best to channel your energy to create something complicated and strict.”

Mikey raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

Gerard eyed him suspiciously, “Yeah…”

Mikey glanced at Ray, “I uhm, I gotta get something from my… room. Ray help me.”

Ray looked at him and at Gerard with a confused face but followed Mikey anyway. Gerard smirked and was about to say something, but just like on cue, Mikey glared at him, “No, we are  _ not _ gonna fuck, shut your face, Gerard Way.”

The vampire just laughed at his brother and plopped himself down the sofa.

Mikey locked the door of his room after Ray came in and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m gonna try doing basic magic tricks to try and boost his mood. Hopefully that will distract him from whatever the pumpkin pie might taste like. You go and drink your cup, and just hand me mine after the tricks, got it?”

Ray nodded firmly. “A little tip though, Mikes.” Mikey raised an eyebrow as he was gathering up a few objects he could use for the tricks. “If you wanna lighten up his mood, lighten up yours too. Smile, bro.”

Mikey looked at him as if he’d just insulted his great great great ancestors. Ray just shrugged and left to room to drink his potion. The lanky boy screamed inside his head and roughly rubbed his face. A few seconds later, he walked out with his box of cups and cards with an unsettling smile. As he showed himself to Gerard who was casually lounging in the sofa with a cup of cherry cola that was most definitely mixed with hints of blood, his brother almost spat out his drink. A mix of awe and terror stirred in his guts; Mikey really had to work on his ability to force a smile.

Ray popped out from the kitchen holding Mikey’s cup. He looked around and felt a sense of awkwardness then just retreated back; he could just give it to him once the act was done.

“Hello,” Mikey said in an awfully cheery tone. “Would you like to see some magic?”

Gerard looked at his brother incredulously “What-”

Mikey’s smile grew more unsettling and he repeated his question. “Would you like to  _ see _ some magic, brother?”

_ ‘Sweet heavens, God have mercy for my sins’  _ Gerard thought to himself before slowly nodding. Mikey set down the box on the coffee table in front of him, and so he braced himself.

A few minutes passed, and it wasn’t as bad as Gerard had suspected. It was mostly Mikey using actual magic to do traditional party tricks and impressing him in the process.

Mikey was doing the good ol’ thumb-removing trick kids used to do a lot at school, his face looking much more relaxed with a genuine grin on his face; it suited him much more than his forced smile. Ray finally walked in the room with the pie and Mikey’s drink when he sensed that things were finally going well with the Way brothers.

“Really, Mikey? That trick?” Ray raised an eyebrow.

Mikey smirked at him. “Look closely, Mom.” Mikey closed his fists and performed the trick again, but there was a little pop that was heard. When he opened both of his fists, his left hand was missing a thumb and he was holding it in his right.

“Holy fuck!” Ray exclaimed as he looked at the wriggling thumb on Mikey’s palm. “Please attach it back, it looks very disturbing!”

Gerard cackled at Ray’s reaction. “Oh come on, Ray. It was funny.”

The fro man pushed the box on the coffee table and made some room for the pie. He had pre-sliced the pie while waiting for Mikey to finish his tricks. “I swear, the both of you have a messed up sense of humor,” Ray sighed as he handed Mikey his cup of the potion that he reheated for him. The brothers just shrugged it off by grinning.

Mikey slowly finished drinking his cup while Gerard summoned paper plates and forks.

“Go on, take a slice,” Mikey offered as he set down his cup and sat beside Ray on the chairs in front of Gerard.

Gerard obliged and lifted up a slice and plopped it on his plate. “Aren’t you guys gonna eat some too?” he asked.

“Uh… W-we will, after you,” Mikey stammered

“Birthday boy first,” Ray added.

Gerard took a sniff on the slice of pie experimentally. “This doesn’t seem like the one you guys usually buy.”

The two boys in front of him started to become nervous once again. “Uhm, yeah. We baked it ourselves. Tried to do something extra especial. Because, uhh…” Ray was losing words for his alibi.

“Because an extra person like you deserves something extra in return,” Mikey blurted out.

Ray looked at him in shock while Gerard laughed, “Heck, you ain’t wrong about that, Mikes.”

Gerard was half-way through his pie while having a funny conversation with Ray and Mikey when he started to feel sleepy. “Aw pickles,” he muttered as his vision started to blur and everything went black.

Ray and Mikey started to feel the same shortly after. “I guess this is it?” Ray managed to whisper out as he laid back and closed his eyes.

“Yeah,” Mikey took off his glasses and followed suit.

_ “There’s no backing down now.” _


	5. Origins: THREE

It was the early morning of April 9, and the birds outside had only started singing their morning songs as they flitted through the trees in the front yard of Elena’s home. The woman herself, however, was already up and flipping through the pages of a book.

A cookbook.

While sipping her morning cup of joe and holding a pen in the other hand, she made a list of what dishes she’d make for her grandson’s first birthday. Everything should be meat-free, that was certain. The most important thing to be served would be the pumpkin pie.

Settling on a decision, she selected the dishes to be cooked for lunch, then a familiar sound of rattling echoed through the halls, followed by the sight of the little child who peered through the kitchen door.

“Pumpkin!” Elena happily approached Gerard. He raised his arms and made grabby hands as she picked him up and kissed his cheeks playfully.

“Papin!” he giggled.

“You’re up early today. Are you excited for your birthday?” Elena pulled out the high chair and sat the baby down. Gee nodded enthusiastically as he rubbed his eyes. He was such a morning person for a vampire.

Gerard had learned to walk when he was around five or six months old due to his constant curiosity and adventures around the house. Running was still a bit hard for him though; his socks made it too slippery for him on the hardwood floors. He had trouble pronouncing words due to the lisp caused by his fangs, too, but he was very talkative nonetheless, even though his ‘words’ were usually just blubbers and drool getting all over his face.

Gerard reached around the table, searching for things that sparked his interest while Elena fixed his breakfast. It wasn’t long before Gerard had his hands on the now lukewarm, half-empty cup of coffee. He swished his fist through the drink and was about to put it in his mouth when Elena grabbed him and hurriedly cleaned his hands with a damp cloth. “Oh no, that’s coffee, Gee. It’s bad for you.” She then proceeded to take the cup to the sink, out of Gerard’s reach. “Something about it affecting iron absorption or something. I don’t know, just, don’t ever drink it, okay, sweetie?”

Gerard just looked at her , tilting his head in confusion. “Awon?” he asked.

“Iron, yes. Your body needs it. A lot of it, honestly,” Elena replied as she took the bowl filled with Gerard’s breakfast and gave it a few last stirs. “And you get iron from eating fruits and vegetables.” His food for today was a mixture of diced berries, pureed green vegetables, and some oatmeal. “You might not like veggies that much, but I can’t exactly give you blood. Sorry my little pumpkin, but this is the only substitute for your iron needs I can give while you can’t eat meat.” ‘Yet.’ Elena just couldn't risk Gerard reaching his full vampire potentials and _cravings_ , but she also knew there would come a time when his body would demand it.

‘I just hope it’s not so soon.’

“Say aaah,” Elena cooed as she spoonfed Gerard, his face scrunched up in a few seconds before projectile spitting out the food. “Oh dear… I think I should leave out the bitter ones,” she chuckled as she cleaned up the greeny mess. “Sorry, love, I’ll just make you a new one.” Elena threw away the bitter breakfast down the bin and set the bowl down beside the coffee cup for later cleaning.

As she took out some fruits and started to peel and dice them, she began to hum a tune that caught Gerard’s attention, and soon enough she started to create lyrics that neither of them knew from the radio but still felt incredibly familiar with. A song that nobody wrote but was still out there, sung based on genuine feelings and experiences. It was made just to pass time, but it made sense. Of course it did.

“If there's a place that I could be, then I'd be another memory. Can I be the only hope for you? Because you're the only hope for me,” she passionately sang, unaware of the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “And if we can't find where we belong, we'll have to make it on our own, face all the pain and take it on, because the only hope for me is you alone.” She set down the knife and wiped the tears that had made their presence known when one fell onto the cutting board.

Gerard was staring at his grandma the whole time, not sure what to do or how to react, but one thing was evident. He was mesmerized by Elena’s song. The woman noticed the way her grandson looked at her, and she gave him a warm smile and a hug as she sighed. “Did you like that, pumpkin?” She let out a small chuckle. “Maybe I could teach you how to sing when you grow a lil’ bit older, how does that sound?” Gerard smiled really wide and clapped excitedly at her, his fangs glistened in the morning sunshine that entered through their small kitchen window.

“Aww you cutie,” Elena cooed as she pinched the baby’s cheek. Wiping her face once more and washing her hands after, she went back to fixing Gerard’s breakfast as he sat quiet and content in his high chair. “I love you, my little pumpkin,” Elena murmured fondly.

“W wab awwab wu” Gerard giggled.

Elena felt a little tug on her heart from her grandson’s sweetness. She really loved the kid so dearly, and she would do anything to guide, love, and protect him, no matter what happens.

_ “Never change, Gerard… Never change.” _


	6. Origins: FOUR

“Helena!” the woman at the door greeted as she embraced her friend.

“Annalisse! I’m so glad you could make it.” Elena returned the hug and ushered the woman and the kid she came with into the living room, and she gestured for them to sit. “Gerard, come out, honey, we have visitors!” Elena called out in a singsong tone.

Soon, a pair of feet echoed down the stairs and a very excited looking five year old was standing in front of them. He tugged Elena’s arm and whispered in her ear, “Who awre they?” Elena chuckled at Gerard’s giddiness.

“The sweet lady over there is Annalisse. She’s a very close friend of mine. And the nice young man with her is Raymond, her grandson. He’s the same age as you, so I’m sure the both of you will get along well,” Elena introduced as Gerard waved at them.

Raymond stood up and approached Gerard. “Hi there! I’m Raymond, but you can call me Ray. Can we be friends?” Ray offered his hand for Gerard to shake as he smiled, revealing a few missing teeth.

Gee looked at Elena then back at Ray with a face filled with pure delight before enveloping the kid with the fluffy hair in a tight embrace. “Yeth! Oh gosth, you haf no idea how long I waited to haf a fwren!”

Ray hugged him back as he laughed. “Aw man, me too! I don’t really get to leave the house much. Something about safety and all that.”

“Why don’t you and Ray go play upstairs while Anna and I have our chat?” Elena suggested.

“Okay!” Gerard beamed and took Ray by the hand. “Let’th go to my room! I haf like theethe new Batman comicth and video gameth! You awre gonna love ‘em!” Both of the boys giggled as they ran up the flight of stairs.

Elena sighed as she heard the door close upstairs. “Do you want some coffee or tea?” she asked her friend now that they were left alone in the living room.

“Some coffee would be nice,” Anna replied with a kind smile. Elena muttered a few sets of spells, and a pot of coffee, a jar of sugar cubes, and a jug of milk appeared on the coffee table in front of them along with two empty mugs. “I don’t know how you prefer yours, sorry,” Elena apologised as she sat down beside Anna.

“Oh, it’s fine. I don’t really have a specific type of coffee; I’m more of a ‘based on my current mood’ person,” Anna chuckled as she filled hers and Elena’s cups with coffee and proceeded to add three sugar cubes and a dash of milk to hers while Elena took her own cup and just went with two sugars and no milk.

The two of them took a sip and relaxed for a moment. “So,” the woman with the golden brown curls started, “about your other grandson…”

Elena took a deep breath. “How did his birthday party go? I hope my little Mikey is doing well.”

Anna placed a hand on Elena’s shoulder and set her mug down. “Don’t worry. He and your daughter are doing fine. The party was good, and Mikey is healthy and happy from what I saw.”

Tears started to flow from Elena’s eyes as she let go of her strong and happy persona. “T-that’s really great to hear… I… I just-” She continued to sob, “I could’ve been there with them, Gerard could’ve been there with them… And on his first birthday too… T-this is all my fault.” She sniffed. “I guess I’m happy that Donald decided to go back to Donna after he left b-because of Gerard… Oh, my poor little Donna must’ve been so lonely throughout those three years…” She settled down her mug and sobbed with her hands covering her face.

“Oh Helena…” Anna pulled her into a hug as she stroked her tangled raven hair in hopes of giving comfort. “It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself, dear.” She rocked her gently in a hushing manner.

“But still!” Elena argued “It’s because of my fantasy-induced teenage brain that got my family into this mess. I was such a stupid head!” She summoned a tissue box, took a handful of its content and blew her nose into them rather loudly.

“Oh hush now, Helena.” Anna tried to stop herself from laughing over Elena’s childish word choice. She racked her brain for possible words of comfort and suddenly recalled one fateful event in both of their lives: the day that they met. “Remember what you told me back in our ‘fantasy-induced’ teenage years? When I found you blowing your face up with puffs of multi-coloured smoke as you kept on failing to summon a single leaf in the middle of the forest? When you tried to learn magic using a crappy old spellbook without a proper teacher?”

Elena scoffed playfully as she tried to calm down. “Wow, thanks for reminding me of that. I swear I saw a valley of unicorns after inhaling a ton of that smoke.” The both of them laughed.

“What I’m trying to say is, back when you first got yourself involved in the world of magic, you told me you knew what you signed up for, and you were willing to risk anything just to learn it… You knew that magic came with a price, and you paid it! You did pay a pretty  _ huge price _ but see? If you hadn’t bought that spellbook, we never would’ve met, you never would’ve had Donna, you never would’ve had Gerard! See, even though you’ve given up something like  _ that _ , you did get a lot of good things in return, right?”

Elena sighed and made a small smile. “I guess you’re right…” She reached for her coffee that been cooling down very quickly and had almost lost all its warmth.

“Here, allow me,” Anna offered as she reheated both of their coffees just by touching their mugs.

“You’re the greatest friend anyone could ever have, you know that?” Elena confessed as she blew off the steam and sipped her coffee.

“Oh Helena, you don’t have to sweet talk me! You know I’ll be your best friend till we’re both decomposing six feet under,” she snickered. “Oh and by the way!” Anna remembered after she took a gulp of coffee.

Elena raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Mikey’s birthday cupcakes this year had rainbow unicorn designs.” Anna laughed. Elena groaned and almost burned her tongue as she tried to drown herself in her coffee out of slight embarrassment.

“G’anma!” Gerard suddenly cried out as he and Ray appeared at the top of the stairs.

Elena immediately shot up from her seat as the two kids came running inside the living room, and Gerard went straight into Elena’s arms. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

The little kid gestured for her to lean down to which she obliged, then he whispered into her ear, “Thith ith a thecret! Don’t tell Wray! But uhm, I’m hungwry, and I…” He looked nervously at Ray before continuing, “I want the whole pack of ‘trawbewrries, could you make a new pack for him? I wanna sthare my pack, I  _ wreally _ do, but I’m really craving them, and I didn’t want to look thtingy-”

Elena laughed in relief before nodding and ruffling his hair. “Okay, okay, hang on, Pumpkin.” She then muttered a spell under her breath before whispering to Gerard, “The strawberry packs are at the fridge. Wash them before eating them, okay?”

Gerard nodded with a smile before kissing his grandma’s cheek. “You’re the bethst,” he declared before gesturing for Ray to come with him to retrieve their snacks in the kitchen.

Now alone again with her friend who was silently drinking a cup of coffee beside her, Elena just couldn’t stop thinking about the unicorn cupcakes and how odd it made her feel.

‘It was just a silly coincidence.’

Donna never knew her mother dabbled in the arts of magic. She never knew about the unicorn visions Elena had while she inhaled the fumes of failed spells. She never knew that it was her mother’s fault her first son turned into a vampire.

It was all just a coincidence. Hopefully.

_ May she never learn the truth. _


	7. Origins: FIVE

It was a sunny afternoon, and Ray had just been dropped off by his abuela at Gerard’s home. The seven year old had just finished his first homeschooling session and was more than excited to share how his day went with his friend.

Before he could even knock, the door swung open and Gerard tackled him into a hug. “Ray!” he exclaimed.

“Well hello to you too, Gee,” Ray laughed as he hugged back. “You seem so excited today, buddy, what happened in the last few weeks I didn’t get to visit?” the curly haired kid asked as they both entered the house.

Gerard closed the door and practically dragged Ray into the kitchen while snickering. They both sat down the bar stools and Ray raised his eyebrow, “Okay? what’s happening?”

Gerard made a toothy smile before asking “Notice anything…  _ different _ ?”

Ray squinted his eyes and looked at the other kid carefully. “Let’s see… You seem to have grown a couple of centimeters, you definitely had a haircut, and got paler than you were the last time we met… but I think there’s something mo-” Ray gasped after getting hit with realization. “You don’t have a lisp anymore! And- and your teeth! Your canines aren’t sticking out anymore!” He pointed at them with wide eyes.

Gerard grinned and nodded vigorously, then proceeded to take an apple from the fridge before quickly returning to his seat. “Check this out!” Gerard open his mouth and placed the apple under his upper set of teeth and immediately a soft tearing sound was heard, and the kid showed off two fairly deep holes on the apple.

Ray took the apple and examined it, his mouth open in shock and wonder. “ _ Dude _ ! How?!”

Gerard giggled at Ray’s reaction. “When Grandma cast the spell after I told her my pointy teeth made me uncomfortable, she made them retractable! Now I can control them at will!” Gerard showed his teeth once more and made his fangs stick out before retracting them again.

“Woah, that is so cool! You’re like Wolverine, but it’s your fangs that retract!” Ray exclaimed. “You can be like a superhero!”

Gerard smiled fondly at the idea but shook his head. “Nah, I don’t want that. As much as I love reading superhero comics, I don’t think I’m built to be one. Plus that means hurting people! Sure they’re bad people, but they’re still people. We’re just human, and we make bad choices. They deserve to be corrected or apprehended without violence!”

Ray stared at Gerard for a few seconds before nodding. “Gerard, I swear you sound way too mature for a seven year old. But yeah, haha, you’re right.”

Gerard grinned. “Enough about me though, how about you? Anything interesting happen?”

Ray beamed. “Yeah! In the last few weeks, we were out gathering some ‘school’ materials — can I still call them school materials even though I’m home schooled?” he wondered. Gerard just shrugged in reply. “Yeah, whatever, I’ll still call them school materials — and we tried finding the best teacher for me. My abuela did the picking and interviewing. Most of them left confused, though, and they didn’t really know why they were there in the first place, haha. You should’ve seen the face of this guy, I think his name was Patrick, he looked so scared and confused. He ran away so fast, he actually left his fedora in our house, but he never came back for it. Shame, it actually looked pretty classy.” Ray snickered as he remembered the encounter.

“Anyway, we did get to pick a teacher. She’s really sweet, and she gave me candy bars the first time we met like, the full size ones! Man, it was rad.” Ray reached for the bag on his back and rummaged inside of it. “We started lessons today, and she gave me a cupcake and a sketch pad after!” Ray pulled out said sketch pad from his bag and gave it to Gerard. “I know your sketch pad is almost full, so I think you need that more than I do.”

Gerard squealed as he hugged the thing. “Thank you so much, dude!” he exclaimed.

Ray smiled widely back at him. “No problem, Gee! I’d give you some of the chocolate bars, but they aren’t really lactose-free.”

Gerard nodded. “It’s cool, we know how my grandma is really strict about that stuff.” He shook his head fondly at how overly concerned Elena was about his health.

Gerard couldn’t blame her though. He had always seemed sickly ever since he was a kid. He never knew why though; Elena never explained  _ why _ . All he knew was that he was lactose intolerant, had an intense iron deficiency, he always had moments where he felt really sleepy or close to passing out, his pulse was  _ really _ hard to find, and he had something like a blood circulation problem that may have caused his skin to grow cold. That was just a speculation though, as he never got it checked by doctors; he never really went to the doctor’s in the first place.

_ He didn’t suspect a thing. _

Gerard just brushed the thought off and never questioned anything anyway, not even the magic; everything about it just felt normal to him. “Oh, I never got to ask what your teacher’s name is!” Gerard suddenly noticed.

“Oh, her name is Christa,” Ray replied as he adjusted the bag back on his back.

“You think she can do magic too?” the older kid asked while he examined the new sketch pad’s paper, absentmindedly thinking of his next drawings.

“I’m not really sure, but I hope she does so she can give me unlimited cupcakes after every session.” Ray smiled dopily.

“You sure do love cupcakes, Princess Cupcake,” Gerard teased.

Ray playfully shoved Gerard. “Shut up! They’re just really good.”

Gerard simply laughed at him. “Whatever, man, let’s just go to my room. I think I wanna draw something.”

The boys decided to go upstairs to Gerard’s room, and Gerard made a beeline towards his messy desk filled with various art materials. Meanwhile, Ray set down his bag on the floor and sat down on the bed that had a Batman duvet with matching bed sheets and pillow cases.

“So what’s your crazy drawing idea for today?” Ray asked as he laid down and took in the softness of the bed.

“Hang on,” Gerard muttered as he started making rough outlines. The room became fairly quiet, filled only with the soft sounds from the pencil scratching against the paper. Ray knew that Gerard liked to concentrate in the silence while he drew and respected it, so he busied himself with a nearby comic book he had picked up.

After a few minutes, Gerard placed down the pencil and carefully brushed some eraser dust off the sketch pad. “Okay, it’s done,” Gerard announced as he turned around to call on Ray with a smile.

Ray got up and approached the desk. “Gee, that looks really great!” the curly haired kid exclaimed as he stared at the drawing.

“Thanks.” Gerard tried not to blush from the complement. “I think I’m gonna call them The Amazing Goffo Brothers! They’re these really good piano movers who basically just… move pianos for a living,” he chuckled before sighing. “I wish I had a brother…” Gerard blurted out as he stared at his drawing, trying to find something though he didn’t exactly know what.

“If it helps, I think of you as a brother,” Ray offered with a genuine smile.

“Thanks, Ray,” Gerard replied as he gave him a quick hug.

“Oh, that reminds me of something!” Ray suddenly perked up. “Just about last week, I got to hang out with this four year old kid from the house besides ours, and he reminds me so much of you!”

Gerard snorted, “Wow, do I really seem like a four year old to you?”

Ray playfully rolled his eyes. “You know what I’m trying to say. He kind of looked a bit like you, like the eyes and all that.” He made small gestures pointing at his face. “His name is Michael, but his mom calls him Mikey. She’s nice, she gave us Oreos when we played on their front yard!” Ray laughed as he reminisced. “He said that I’m his knight while he gets to be the unicorn prince. He’s so adorable.”

Gerard chuckled at the idea. “Yeah, I’m sure he is. I hope I get to meet this Mikey you’re talking about.”

Ray tilted his head. “Why not ask Grandma Elena? you can hang out at my house too when you do!”

Gerard beamed up and agreed, “Yeah, that’d work!”

Gerard proceeded to call out for Elena who was probably knitting or tending her little indoor garden. A few minutes later, the woman appeared in the room with a smile. “What is it, pumpkin? Do you and Ray need anything?”

Gerard nodded, “Yeah, we were wondering if, I could come over at Ray’s house next time? I wanted to meet this kid called Mikey, he lives right next to Ray’s.”

Elena’s smile disappeared and the beginnings of a panicked feeling began to bubble inside of her. “No,” she replied immediately. Elena ran a hand down her face. “I-it’s getting late, the sun is almost down. I think it’s time for Ray to go home, right, dear?” Elena didn’t wait for a response before turning and leaving. “I’m gonna go and call Anna to pick you up.”

“Well that went  _ exactly _ how I thought it would,” Gerard sighed.

Ray pat his back in hopes of giving comfort. “It’s okay, Gee, maybe next time?”

Gerard forced out a quick smile before shrugging. The both of them just sat around in defeat as they waited for Ray’s ride home.

Downstairs in the living room where the telephone was, Elena had already called Annalisse. “Anna… this is going to sound pretty rude but maybe… Ray should stop hanging out with Gerard-” Elena tried to explain herself. “I don’t think Ray can hang out with both Mikey and Gerard at the same time… Just today he told Gerard about Mikey! I’m just scared that he might spill something more. I- we can’t risk it. I’m sorry…” She sighed from the mix frustration and anxiousness.

“It’s okay, Helena, I completely understand. You don’t have to worry about it,” Annalisse reassured her from the other end of the line. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Elena nodded to herself. “Okay, thank you, Anna.”

“No problem,” Anna replied before they both hung up.

After about twenty minutes, Annalisse’s car was in front of their house. Ray hugged Gerard and waved both him and Elena goodbye. The two boys didn’t know that that was probably the last time they’d hang out as best buddies. Elena felt bad for taking away his grandson’s best — and only — friend, but it had become too much of a risk.

_ ‘It’s too early for you to learn the truth. I’m sorry.’ _


	8. Origins: SIX

It was hard enough being stuck inside the house while having little to no interaction with anyone else besides your grandmother. It became much harder when you lost contact with your best and only friend without any warning or an explanation as to why he never came back while your grandmother acted like nothing had happened, but it reached its worst when your health rapidly began to decline, and you almost lost your life.

That was the life of a nine year old boy named Gerard Arthur Way. The kid who had to reach his limit before he learned the truth about himself.

Two years ago, after he realised that Ray was never coming back, he constantly asked himself if he’d done something wrong, if he had said something that had upset him. Was it the time that he called him Princess Cupcake? The time he stole the last grape from Ray’s bowl? Or something else that he hadn’t been completely aware of? He didn’t really know, but he took it upon himself to blame Ray’s leaving on every single little thing that he’d ever done.

He developed depression at such an early age. He kept on losing sleep and his appetite until he was paler and thinner than ever, and his whole body crashed. The emotional pressure along with the  _ imbalanced _ diet from a vegan lifestyle had taken its toll, and Elena finally saw the fault in her ways. She had let her fears get the best of her and blind her from the negative effects she was causing. She was able to bring him back to health, but the damage had been done.

As soon as Gerard showed signs of recovery, Elena had to let go one of her secrets. She finally told Gerard that he was indeed a vampire.

The kid was hesitant to believe it at first, despite the facts that proved it was true, such as the fangs and the cold skin, but everything changed once he was fed some soup made with pig’s blood. It heightened his senses all at once and instantly made him feel better that he had ever felt before.

So many things suddenly made sense but not  _ entirely _ ; there was definitely more to it that Elena hadn’t said. And it had only worsened Gerard’s speculations on why Ray had stopped being his friend.

‘Maybe he left because he knew that I was a vampire before I did and got scared for his safety?’

Gerard took it differently than what Elena had predicted, but it was still a negative one like she thought it would be.

In order to pass the time during those gloomy and depressing years, Gerard busied himself in the basement where Elena kept her collected magical items instead of his room where all his comics and art materials were. Sometimes he’d even sleep there on the floor, surrounded by books about necromancy and facts about his kind. Elena usually just conjured a makeshift bed for him to sleep on instead of waking him up to bring him to his bedroom. It was the least she could do.

She had tried to suggest calling Ray back so he could hang out with him again, but Gerard had refused, choosing instead to accept the dull comfort of being alone in the dark.

It was such an unhealthy childhood experience.

While Gerard was in the basement rearranging some of his grandmother’s magical materials — such as the vials of potions, jars of herbs, and other various enchanted objects on the dusty shelves — he noticed a glistening crystal shard peeking out through a black velvet pouch that was well hidden in the farthest back corner. With great curiosity, Gerard picked it up to examine it. It looked pretty normal, like the ones you put in your room or the ones you turn into necklaces just for the sake of aesthetic, but there definitely had to be something more to it, considering where it came from.

He was about to attempt to look up some information about the crystal in some of Elena’s books, but the woman herself suddenly entered the basement. Gerard hurriedly shoved the object inside his pocket and acted like he was busy doing other things to avoid any kind of suspicion about his discovery.

“Gerard?” the old woman called out softly. “It’s time for lunch, Pumpkin.” Elena was at the top of the stairs, waiting for response.

Gerard cleared his throat before answering, “Yeah, coming, just a sec.”

He heard a soft, almost whispered, “Okay,” from Elena followed by the sound of the door opening and closing again. Gerard dusted off his hands and absentmindedly rubbed his palms on the sides of his shirt before reassuring the safety of the crystal in his pocket and leaving the basement.

As Gerard made his way to the dining room, he heard two boys cackling outside on the streets, one definitely younger than the other. Even though it made him feel a little weird, his feet felt like they had a mind of their own and walked straight towards the window where he could see who the boys were.

It was the Joseph brothers. The two lived a few blocks away from Gerard’s house, and they usually played around the area, typically riding their bikes together. The two always looked so close to each other like, it was just the two of them against the rest of the world.

A feeling of jealousy punched Gerard in the guts as he watched the two kids play together. He took a deep breath and shook his head as he looked away and walked to his original destination.

Elena was waiting in the dining room, already sitting at the other end of the table. The different dishes were sprawled out on top of it. Gerard took his seat and mumbled a thank you for his food to Elena before helping himself with a serving of mashed potatoes and a slab of steak with a blank expression.

“Is there something wrong, Pumpkin?” Elena couldn’t help but notice that there was something bothering her grandson as soon as he entered the room.

He poked the steak with a frown on his face. “N-no, nothing’s wrong…” He shook his head and looked down at his lap with a sigh. He immediately noticed a soft red glow emitting from his shorts where he hid the crystal. He cupped his pocket and quickly got up. “I-I’m done eating. I’m going back to the b-basement.” He stammered and quickly rushed out. A look of confusion and worry was plastered in Elena’s face as he left.

Gerard locked the basement door and skipped two steps at a time as he made his way down the stairs. He stood on a small wooden step ladder and skimmed through the books on the shelves to find one that seemed to have what he was looking for. On the middle of the top shelf was a book that said  _ Iridescentia: A Guide to Stones and Crystals _ . Gerard stood on the tip of his toes as he reached for the thick, dusty book. The ladder tipped a little as he finally got a hold of it, and he quickly jumped to the ground before he could fall off. The other books were disarranged, and dust went everywhere, but that was fine; he’d just fix it later. There were more important things than dust bunnies and ancient-looking books threatening to fall off a tall shelf.

He opened the book and found there wasn’t a table of contents, and the information didn’t appear to be sorted out or placed in any kind of order, as if it was just a field journal instead of some kind of textbook like the rest of Elena’s books. As he pulled out the crystal from his pocket, he found it wasn’t glowing anymore. Instead, it looked the same as when he first saw it in its pouch. He examined it once more and held it in his hand as he flipped through the pages in case there were illustrations that seemed similar to it, but as his hand that was holding the thing moved closer to the book, the book glowed and flipped its pages by itself, stopping at where the information he was seeking was.

_ It didn’t take long as expected. _


	9. Origins: SEVEN

_The Linlang Crystal_

_Origin: Unknown_

_Made from the breaths that held the first lie and the first truth and kept far too long by humans, then crystallized with the tears of joy, anger, and sorrow that resulted from the lie and truth._

_This crystal can be used to determine if a person is lying or telling the truth. Red indicates a lie while Blue indicates a truth. The most recent documented usage of said crystal was an unnamed witch that allegedly broke the crystal in half, turned the other half into dust, and force fed it to her husband after she noticed him telling too many lies and hiding secrets. Her husband spurted out every truth and lie he had ever told from the least the the worst before his brain exploded inside his skull. There hasn’t been anymore activities detected before this recent discovery._  
  
Gerard gulped and closed the book. He stood up and sat down on his makeshift bed while staring at the crystal. That was it, the solution to finally knowing whether or not his grandmother had really told him the truth about his identity. He was determined to use it after what the last set of lies had ended up resulting in. He had lost a friend with them; he just hoped he wouldn’t lose anyone else this time, because he only had Elena now. He would either lose her, or he would lose himself. It was such a bold risk to take, but there was no turning back as he heard a soft knock on the basement door.

“Pumpkin, may I… may I come in?” Elena asked as she stood in front of the door.

‘Okay, it’s now or never, Gee. You can do this.’ Gerard inhaled deeply. “Y-yeah,” he stammered, but his determination was still strong.

Elena waved her hand and a soft click sounded; the door was unlocked. She descended the stairs with her head down. Elena stood at the foot of the stairs as she absentmindedly played with the cuffs of her sweater. “Gerard, I know… things have been a bit rough lately… but honey, you know you can talk to m-” Her words were cut short as her eyes finally focused on the kid holding something she had been trying to hide for a long time.

It seemed like almost all of her secrets were about to get unravelled.

“W-where did you get that?” she questioned her grandson. Gerard simply pointed at the shelf. ‘It wasn’t supposed to be there.’ “H-how did tha-”

“It doesn’t matter how, Grandma,” Gerard interjected. “I… I know you’re keeping things from me, just like how you hid the fact that I’m a vampire and forced veganism on me just because you were scared that, what? I’d become a monster?!”

Elena was taken aback as tears welled up her eyes. “No… No, P-pumpkin, it’s not like that.”

The crystal in Gerard’s hand gave out a short, soft glow. ‘It wasn’t completely a lie, but it also wasn’t the truth. I can’t believe she doesn’t trust me.’ Gerard gritted his teeth. “Grandma, stop with these lies already, please.” Was it rage he felt? Was it sadness? Or was it the crushing feeling of betrayal? It didn’t matter. “I just want the truth… t-to understand who I am, who we are. I need to know so I can maybe finally accept _what_ I am…” Gerard sighed as he tried to compose himself.

Elena rubbed her forearm nervously. “I just want to protect you, Pumpkin… The truth-” She took a deep breath as she tried to find the right words. “The truth might be too much for you to handle…” Her eyes screamed for Gerard not to push any further, but a part of her had already given in and was just waiting for it to be over.

“Give me all you’ve got; I can take it.” Gerard held a stern look, not giving in to Elena’s pleas.

Elena felt defeated. She hesitated for a bit before she summoned a chair and sat in front of Gerard. Her actions continued to ask, ‘Do you really have to know?’ Gerard remained unfazed.

The elderly woman closed her eyes as she braced herself for what possible outcomes she could end up with. “Okay then…” Elena took a deep breath then cleared her throat. “Where do you want me to start?” she asked as she tried to recall all the necessary details.

“I guess, start from when all the secrets began to pile up.” Gerard nodded to himself.

Elena gulped. It was only now that she’d been openly questioned about her secrets that she was hit with the realisation that this whole thing had started long ago, back when she was only a few years older than Gerard’s current age.

“It’s a very long story,” she warned.

“If I can sit through all the Harry Potter movies in a row, I can definitely listen to the whole thing,” Gerard replied coolly.

Elena pursed her lips. “Fine…” she surrendered as she turned the chair into a recliner. The kid raised an eyebrow at her. “What? I said this would take long, might as well be comfortable while telling it.” She was definitely not going to get out-sassed by her grandson; afterall, he got it from her.

Gerard fluffed up a pillow and laid down like a “French girl.” “Okay, Grams, lay it on me. The whole _truth_.” He squinted at her as he emphasised the last word.

Elena rolled her eyes fondly. He was definitely only putting up this act to lessen the tension in the room. It was working, and she was grateful for it. “It all started when I was thirteen…”

_Tears and secrets were spilled. There was no backing down now._


	10. Origins: EIGHT

_ A loud sound of crunched up leaves and a thud followed by a chorus of sadistic cackling echoed in a small part of the forest. The young scrawny-looking girl that was the source of the sound screamed in pain as a foot stepped on her scratched up forearm as tears streamed down her black and blue face. _

_ “Aww look, Gaylena is crying like the little bitch that she is!” a red-haired girl about the same age as her taunted as the two other girls laughed. _

_ “P-please…” Elena gasped. “S… stop- Stop! It hurts!” she pleaded as she tried to pry her arm with the last bits of her strength. _

_ “You’re so fucking pathetic!” the chubby girl spat as she threw pebbles at Elena’s torso, aiming at her ribs. The blonde girl that was stepping on her rolled her eyes and removed her foot from Elena before stomping on her stomach. _

_ Elena balled up clutching herself tightly as she rolled on her side as she hurled up blood-infused vomit. It wasn’t pretty, and the girls snickered and laughed at the sight of her like an audience at the circus. _

_ With an almost inaudible voice, Elena asked, “What did I ever do to any of you?” Her vision started to blur, but she could still make up the outline of the redhead that was approaching her. _

_ Her hand with slender fingers adorned by long pink-painted nails yanked Elena up by the hair before eyeing her from head to toe. “You wanna know why?” she scoffed. “We saw your sorry little faggot ass makin’ a move on our friend Emily the other day,” she sneered as she tightened up her grip, making Elena whimper in pain. _

_ “See,” the chubby girl started as she lighted up a cigarette, taking a long drag before continuing, “we don’t fancy you getting near her. She might fuckin’ catch your disease.” The blonde snatched the cigarette from the other girl’s lips and placed it on hers before approaching Elena. The redhead forcefully pushed Elena’s hair off her hand and backed up. _

_ The blonde crouched beside Elena, took a drag on the cigarette, and puffed out the smoke directly to her face. Elena coughed from all the smoke that filled up her lungs. “Take this as a warning to never ever go near Emily or any of us, you filthy trash.” She said as she pressed down the tip of the cigarette that was still burning bright on Elena’s collar bone. She gasped harshly as her vision dimmed. “So long and goodnight,” Elena heard her say before she got kicked in the head, then everything went black. _

_ It was already sunrise when Elena woke up. She was still in the same place where she passed out on. No one had looked for her all night. No one had found her and helped her. There was no magical ‘waking-up-okay-with-someone-who-cares moment’ that happened. This was the cold, hard reality she had to deal with. _

_ ‘Screw it all.’ _

_ Elena dragged herself up to her feet, still disheveled from yesterday afternoon’s encounter. Her whole body was aching as bruises and scratches littered her skin, and her head was pounding so hard. She used the scattered trees as a guide as she hobbled her way to the nearby stream to clean herself up. _

_ She sat down rather harshly as her weak knees gave out when she tried to crouch. Elena hissed from the pain before biting her lip and started to scoop the ice cold water from the stream. She splashed it on her face and rubbed with caution as she tried to remove the dried remnants of her blood and vomit along with the dirt that stuck to her skin. The coldness made her shiver up but it also made her skin feel a bit numb. “Fuck!” she hissed when she accidentally rubbed some dirt that had been carried along with the water into an open cut. Tears from the pain were threatening to fall down as she tried to remove the dirt with more water. _

_ “I swear to everything that is motherfucking holy this wouldn’t be this hard if I had magic!” she sarcastically exclaimed in frustration. Everything about her life was shitty. Her father left them when she was still a child, and her mother was never at home; she was always out in the taverns and places where rich people hung out in hopes of getting some quick cash. Elena was frowned upon by society as she was the child of a whore, a homosexual, was living in a ratty dump she calls home, and was also out of school. _

_ She contemplated whether to just jump into the stream, drown, and let her corpse be washed along with the current or not. “I don’t even fucking like Emily!” she grunted as she grabbed a handful of grass and threw it onto the water. “She fucking sucks! Literally sucks! What a fucking slut! I will fucking turn her into a- a suction cup or whatever!” She was letting out all her anger while she was all alone in the middle of the forest. It felt good. She was filled with rage, but still good. “Screw you Emily and your overly protective squad that’s lowkey gay for you! Fuck the hair clip you borrowed from me! You can fucking keep it!” Elena screamed with all of her might and birds flew away from the nearby trees surrounding her. _

_ “Don’t you think it’s too early in the morning for all of that?” A masked figure appeared out of nowhere under the shade of a tree. _

_ He was wearing rather formal attire; pristine white long sleeves and a vest along with velvety black slacks and shoes. His mask was pure black, almost covering the tattoo on his neck. _

_ Elena blushed from getting caught while screaming with rage. “I-I didn’t notice you there, sir- Sorry about that,” she stammered, feeling like she had shrunken down into the size of a cherry pit. _

_ “No, no, it’s okay. I’m sorry I interfered with your business. I just couldn’t help myself from getting Interested,” the masked figure calmly said as he emerged from the shadows, fully revealing himself. _

_ Elena pulled herself into a ball, not caring how much her bruises screamed in pain. “H-hey man, if you’re talkin’ about ‘interested’ in this… stuff- you’ve got the wrong Rush- See it’s my mom who-” Her words were cut off by the man’s light chuckle. _

_ “No, not  _ that _ stuff. You’ve got it all wrong.” He shook his head. “A few moments ago, you said ‘IF I had magic.’ Tell me now, do you really believe there is such a thing?  _ Magic _?” _

_ Elena squinted her eyes in confusion. ‘Is this guy high or something?’ “Y-yeah, I guess?” she still answered truthfully. _

_ “How about I offer some to you?” A grin was evident in the tone of the masked man’s voice. _

_ “I swear if you’re talkin about-” _

_ “No. No, I am talking about drugs, dearie. I’m talking about real magic.” _

_ Elena stared at the man with confusion once again before slowly backing up and wobbling as she stood up, ready to leave the weirdo. As she turned around, she heard the man whisper a few indecipherable words and suddenly she felt okay. At least, physically okay. She looked down upon herself, and suddenly all of her bruises and other injuries were gone along with the pain. “Ah, yes, there we go. Finally caught your full attention, have I?” the masked man asked delightedly as he clasped his hands together. _

_ “Let me guess… magic?” Elena whispered in a trance-like way. The man nodded. As he unclasped his hands, a thick book appeared in his left as he whirled the index finger on the other. Elena suddenly appeared before him; she just remained quiet as her brain tried to comprehend what was happening in that moment. _

_ “See this book right here? This can be your gateway into the world of magic.” He held up the book, showing its cover. It said:  _ Stregheria.

_ “That book… It’ll teach me everything I have to learn?” Elena asked as she stared at the thick, old but well-preserved book that emitted an aura she’d never felt before. _

_“Well, not_ everything _,_ _just like any school-based education-”_

_ “I never had any.” Elena interrupted flatly. _

_ A soft oh was heard. “Well ummm,” he cleared his throat before continuing, “at school facilities, each subject has their own set of textbooks. Magic is like… education, but more enjoyable. It’s just not academic; think of it as something rather spiritual, yeah? And each type of magic has their own book, with different authors to provide the information. It might seem difficult to find other books, but believe me, once you start, a new world that’s already around you but currently hidden from your naked eyes will open up for you, and these magical things will be at the tip of your tiny little fingers.” He said enthusiastically as he wiggled his fingers. _

_ “But… I don’t- I don’t have any money,” Elena felt dejected. _

_ “Ah, don’t fret, Dearie. We don’t do ‘human’ currency; instead, we do… trades.” _

_ Elena felt the man’s wide grin behind the mask as she gulped. “A-and… what do you want me to trade for the book?” _

_ His grin grew wider as he faked thinking and tapped his chin. “Oh… nothing much to be honest. Just…” he held out his index finger, “ _ One  _ human essence. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be yours. It’s completely up to you on who you want to give up for it. Just tell me who, and I’ll be the one to claim it.” He pulled out a sheet of paper that resembled a contract. “Just sign your name here and the person whose essence you’ll be trading, and you’ll automatically be the proud new owner of this  _ magical  _ book.” _

_ Elena thought long and hard. A part of her suggested, “Maybe you could sacrifice Emily and the lowkey gay squad. Who cares if it’s overpaying?,” but her conscience was far stronger than those dark thoughts, so she thought up a solution. She was a bisexual who was more into girls; therefore, if she got with a woman, she would never give birth to any child. No one would probably love her anyway, she confidently assumed, and just to make sure it was foolproof, she wrote, “The firstborn of my firstborn.” After she had signed the paper with her name, the paper vanished. _

_ “Congratulations, Elena! Welcome to the world of magic!” the masked man exclaimed as he shook her hand and handed over the book. “If you’ll excuse me now, I have other things to attend to. It was nice doing business with you.” He bowed and vanished out of sight. _

_ It didn’t even feel real shortly after, as if it had all been just a dream, but the book clutched in her hands proved otherwise. “Holy shit…” Elena breathed. She had tried to suppress her joy, but a soft giggle had escaped her mouth, and it grew louder till it turned into a burst of laughter. _

_ She was finally going to learn magic. _

And it was then that things started to pile up, resulting in years worth of secrecy and lies.


	11. Origins: NINE

_ Almost a week that had passed since Elena had acquired the spellbook. Her mother didn’t even question where she got the thing when she got home; the poor woman was probably too drugged or filled with gallons of alcohol again to even notice the dirt covering Elena’s clothes and skin at the time. _

_ Elena had just finished eating an apple for breakfast before she went straight back to her room to retrieve her book then climbed out of the window, just in case her mom was still passed out on the worn sofa by the front door. Her mom was definitely not a morning person, especially when still out of it. _

_ Elena took her usual route, through the rougher path, to get to the forest clearing where she practiced. Learning without any help or prior knowledge about the whole thing was difficult; she still hasn’t learned how to do the most basic spell any magic user would have mastered first. _

_ Elena took a deep breath and re-read the steps written in the book for the nth time before setting it down under a sycamore tree and taking a stance. She concentrated hard on a leaf that was lying on the ground and tried to channel her energy the way the book had instructed, but the attempt failed, and the leaf burst into a colourful smoke that looked and felt psychedelic. Elena tried covering her nose, but it was too late as she had already inhaled some of it and began to cough. _

_ “Oh no, are you alright?” a sweet sounding voice asked out of nowhere, and it caught Elena’s attention. She was tripping from the smoke too hard to question how and why there was a herd of unicorns right in front of her. _

_ “I’m not okay,” Elena said in a childish tone with a pout towards the thing that had spoken to her: a milky white unicorn with glistening wings that brushed the ground. “I can’t make this spell work.” _

_ The unicorn tilted his head. “What spell?” _

_ Elena fell silent for a few seconds and had to think deeply before remembering. “It’s the summoning thingy, the one that does the whole POOF!” she made a weird flailing gesture as she emphasized the word, “and then the uh- the thing you want will just, I don’t know, be there?” _

_ The unicorn snorted, “What, really? That one? That’s the most basic thing a witch learns when they’re like, three years old.” _

_ Elena groaned and rolled her eyes. “Have you actually done magic before yourself?” Elena asked. _

_ The unicorn shook his head. “No, but I got-” He spread out his wings, “cool wings.” _

_ Elena pursed her lips and nodded, “Yeah, well, I wasn’t born a witch, and I’m trying to learn on my own and it suuucksss.” _

_ “Oh,” the unicorn breathed. “Well, I’m sorry you’re learning the hard way. The person who gave you access to magic and left you unsupervised is such an insufferable  _ ass _. Here, let me help you instead.” Elena didn’t even get to ask how before the unicorn had touched Elena’s glabella with the tip of his horn. Everything went white and a gush of spiritual serenity rushed through her whole body, as if opening a door to another dimension filled with wonders. Soon enough the light had vanished and she was out of trance. _

_ Elena held her chest and inhaled deeply. ‘ _ Okay, time to test it out and see if there were any changes.’ _ She focused on a new stray leaf that was in her clearest vision, and, much to her surprise, the leaf left where it was and had appeared in her palm. _

_ Before Elena could even react to her successful attempt, an energetic clap was heard. “Well that took you long enough,” a girl perched upon a tree with wild fluffy hair exclaimed enthusiastically. _

_ “Who are you?” Elena asked as she looked up at the girl. _

_ “Oh, sorry, you probably haven’t noticed me before, but I’ve been watching you since the first time you entered the forest along with the bitch club. Sorry I wasn’t able to help. I wasn’t exactly capable of interfering; it’s a common rule among magical beings. I saw you too when you made the trade with the weird guy, and I’ll tell you this, those guys with neck tattoos are usually bad news. Let’s just hope you knew what you were getting yourself into.” _

_ “You didn’t answer my question,” Elena pointed out. “And I know what I signed up for. It was a risky trade, but I think I made a wise decision,” she added. _

_ “Oh, really now? What did you even trade for it?” The girl up the tree raised an eyebrow. _

_ “The firstborn of my firstborn,” Elena replied nonchalantly. “I’m not planning on having a child anyway, so that was like a free item.” _

_ The girl scrunched up her face, “I don’t think so, hun. That was a pretty big trade, and magic always finds a way or two. I’m Annalisse by the way.” She then proceeded to stand up and take a leap off the tree branch, but before she could reach halfway to the ground, she transformed into what appeared to be a pterodactyl and gracefully glided around the clearing before landing in front of Elena. _

_ Elena stared at her with wide eyes and gasped, “You’ve got to teach me how to do that!” _

_ Annalisse reverted back into her human form and and shook her head. “Oh, no, I can’t. It’s actually something you’re born with. I have a book about transforming people into werewolves, vampires, merpeople, and more though! I can give it to you if you want.” _

_ Elena squinted at Annalisse. “And what would you like in return?” _

_ Annalisse smirked at her and tapped her chin. “Oh let’s see, how about… your name, because you weren’t gracious enough to tell me after I told you mine?” _

_ Elena blushed, “O-oh, sorry about that, uhm, My name’s Elena.” _

_ Annalisse proceeded to summon said book and a piece of paper that was similar to the masked man’s but less fancier. “I hereby declare you, the new owner of this 13th generation copy of  _ Ibayu: A Guide for Transformations and Rituals _. As long as you remain my friend until we’re both decomposing six feet under, you too shall be honoured under the House of Saurus as my companion through life and in death. With this contract I bind us with friendship in exchange for the item. Signed, Annalisse and Helena.” Annalisse’s words were embedded into the paper as she spoke, and once she finished, the paper glew bright to signify the officiation of the trade before disappearing. _

_ “Okay that was coo- Wait, did you say Helena?” Elena pointed out. _

_ “Wait it isn’t?!” Annalisse exclaimed. _

_ “It’s actually Elena. No H,” the girl with the raven hair explained. _

_ “Oh well, I guess this means I gotta call you Helena from now on to keep the trade contract honoured,” she shrugged. _

_ Elena scoffed, “Oh, really? or was that just you making an excuse to bind me with ‘friendship’ and give me a pet name,  _ Anna.”

_ The girl in question made a cheeky grin before handing the book to her. “Maybe, maybe not.” _

_ Both of them fell into fits of laughter. “I guess we’re literally soulmates from now on, seeing how you basically bound us together in that contract,” Elena chuckled as she accepted the book. “Yep! pretty much, Helena. We’re now best friends forever.” Anna grinned widely. _

Blood is thicker than water, but binding does the trick better.


	12. Origins: TEN

_ With or without the binding of a contract, Annalisse and Elena grew very close as years passed by. Maybe a bit too close than what one may see in an ordinary friendship, but neither of them complained, and it was all good. _

_ Annalisse and Elena had spent most of their time in the forest, far from judgmental eyes; the people just wouldn’t understand. Just the two of them caring for the trees and the woodland creatures, trying out spells from the books they’d gathered, cultivating plants that were most definitely unusual, and just hanging around, enjoying each other’s presence. _

_ Elena’s mother had noticed the frequency of her being out of the house; Elena was out longer than her mother, who was doing her ‘job,’ so it was saying something. _

_ Things were complicated between Maria Rush and her daughter Elena; neither of them knew how to approach or understand each other’s ways, and it made their relationship unstable. It was still functioning. Yes it was broken, but it still worked, one way or another. _

_ A little past midnight, Elena had just finished mediating a fight between angry sprites and the trolls who kept on stealing the sprites’ crops for the fall festival; it just took her giving a few gardening lessons and an exchange of apologies to cool it down for both sides. Annalisse on the other hand, took care of the tree creature who got few broken branches from the crossfire. After both of them had finished, they did their usual routine: Anna turned into a pterodactyl and give Elena a fly home. There was something that threw off this routine though. As soon as Elena entered her house, her mother was waiting for her, sitting at the worn sofa. _

_ “Mom? You’re back early,” Elena startled. _

_ Her mother pursed her lips, “Yeah, well I never left the house, I felt too sore from yesterday and decided to rest today. I didn’t see you leave either, and none of the other times as well. How long have you been sneaking off the house, Elena?” Her mother raised an eyebrow. “Are you seeing someone? Tell me honey, are you  _ messing _ around now? Legal age doesn’t give you the right to run off like that. You might get a pumpkin inside of you too soon.” _

_ Elena groaned and blushed in frustration, “N-no, mom, I’m not making the same mistake that you did… And yes I’m  _ seeing _ someone. Her name is Annalisse, and she’s my best friend, my only friend in fact. We’ve been hanging out for five years now. I’m surprised you’ve only just noticed it.” _

_ Her mother scoffed, “Oh please, I noticed it years ago. I was just waiting for you to tell me about your ‘friend,’ but it seemed like you weren’t planning to tell me anytime soon, noting how it has been five years already. Honey, you know you could’ve had other friends if you didn’t run off to wherever you go to with this Annalisse girl. The rumors about you being a lesbian wouldn’t have spread out and made our already messed up reputation that worse too.” _

_ “Maybe they weren’t rumors in the first place,” Elena whispered through gritted teeth; it was audible enough for her mother to hear though. _

_ The room fell silent for a while as a small tension built up in the air between the two. “So, this ‘best friend’ of yours, Annalisse was it? Is she really just a friend?” _

_ Elena swallowed thickly and shook her head, “Yes, maybe? I-I don’t know.” _

_ “Maybe you should make sure of it first. I know that look. Don’t raise your hopes on something you aren’t completely clear about; it’ll only make you fall harder. Trust me; I know that from experience, Elena. Now clean yourself off and go to bed.” Her mother sighed, got up and went straight to her room to sleep. _

_ Maria’s words had echoed inside Elena’s head in repeat. She hated how her mother was right about it and the fact that she has to face the truth sooner or later. _

_ Elena splashed water into her face at the bathroom sink and scrubbed her face in frustration. ‘I doubt she feels the same way,’ was chanted by her anxiety, and it wasn’t helping at all. _

_ She needed to know soon so she could get over it. _

_ The next day, Elena woke up alone in the house. Her mother had left early for her day job which gave Elena a sense of relief before she left. _

_ Her walk towards the usual meeting place at the forest clearing felt like a march towards the sea where she might drown on what was waiting at the end of the line. She was dead set on finding out that day to maybe clarify her feelings on the subject matter, and it was killing her softly. _

_ As she approached the clearing though, it turned out to be empty. Usually, Annalisse would arrive earlier than Elena would thanks to her winged advantage. Something didn’t feel right until a pair of heavy feet approached the clearing. It was a little rock troll, one of the regular visitors of the area who’d do trades for their plants and potions. They nodded at each other in acknowledgement. _

_ “Lookin’ a bit tense there, friend. Somethin’ the matter?” the rock troll wondered. _

_ Elena sighed and sat down on one of the thick tree roots and the troll sat beside her. “Oh, I don’t know… Rowan, can you keep a secret?” The troll nodded. “I’m nervous. Scared, really. I think I’m falling for my best friend and I’m scared that she might not feel the same way. I was planning on asking her today, but she’s not here yet. Honestly, now that I’ve got the time to think of it, what would I do if she says that she doesn’t like me back? Heck, what would I do if she does?! What would I do if she just lies about her feelings just so I wont feel bad? Oh, this is killing me…” Elena rubbed her face in frustration and let out a groan. _

_ “There, there…” Rowan comforted as they gently pat Elena’s back as softly as possible, then a thought popped up in their head. “Hang on, I think I’ve got a thing that can help you,” they offered as they rummaged through their moss-filled exterior that held their belongings. _

_ “Aha!” Rowan exclaimed as they victoriously pulled out what they were searching for. _

_ “Is- Is that the linlang crystal?” Elena asked curiously. _

_ “Yep! Got it from a trade long time ago,” Rowan replied with a large grin. _

_ “It was mentioned in one of my books. It said that it shows if the person is lying or not. The last use of it was noted to end a decades-long feud between fae kingdoms as it proved that the root of it all was just a big misunderstanding on both parts.” Elena looked at the crystal with such wonder, taking in the breathtaking sight of its entirety. _

_ “Yeah, she’s a beauty, ain’t she? well, here ya go, friend.” _

_ Elena graciously cradled the crystal in her hands. “Thank you, Rowan!” she exclaimed as she hugged the mossy rock troll. “What’d you want in exchange?” Elena asked as she stood up. _

_ “Well, I was originally planning on getting some mandrakes,” Rowan replied as they nodded to themselves. _

_ “Are you sure that’s all you want in trade? I can give you more stuff in return. This crystal is probably worth more than those!” Elena suggested, but the troll just shook their head. _

_ “Nah, two mandrakes would be enough. After all, you can grow and brew some great quality stuff. Especially those molly plants, they were really effective in curing my cousin Bands from the rain hex some water sprite put on her. Think of it as a gift for a good job, friend.” Rowan grinned at her. “Just be careful not to make a really elaborate or funny thing with that crystal though. Those pesky books update themselves and write whatever they think is fit to be immortalized in paper and ink for everyone to read,” they warned as they accepted the potted mandrakes. _

_ Elena swallowed hard and nodded, “N-noted! thank you again, Rowan. Have a great day.” The two waved each other goodbye, and Elena was left alone again in the clearing to wait, but Annalisse didn’t came. Even the day after, and four more days after that. _

_ On the seventh day of her streak of absences though, Annalisse had finally showed up. _

_ Annalisse squealed at the first sight of Elena after almost a week of not seeing her best friend and ran towards her and enveloping her into a tight hug. _

_ Elena blushed and hugged back. “Long time, no see, Anna!” _

_ “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry for not informing you, Helena! But there was an emergency meeting amongst the House of Saurus at some island down south, and it was a long flight so we had to leave early. Honestly my limbs are still sore from flying. I think I need some of that pain ointment we brewed up,” Annalisse explained as she pulled away from the hug and stretched. _

_ “It’s fine, It’s fine, no need to apologise for anything,” Elena laughed it off. “Hang on, I’ll get you the ointment.” She then walked to the big hollow oak tree they’d enchanted into a cupboard where they stored their potions and other planting needs. _

_ “At the island though, before we landed, we got caught up in a thunderstorm. Mom and Dad reached shelter faster than I did, and I got swooshed up by the strong winds,” Anna chuckled and shook her head. Elena looked at her with concern. “Don’t worry though, Just as I was about to crash into the trees, a brontosaurus caught me by the wing and took me down to safety where my parents were. He was really sweet. His name’s Martin… he was one of the main heirs of the House of Saurus throne. He took care of me, and we went to dinner together and explored around the island… This may sound silly but I think I love him!” _

_ The bottle of ointment almost slipped through Elena’s hands from what she has heard, “O-oh, how- how romantic of him,” Elena remarked with a forced smile. “I know, right! While we were stargazing too on our last day before leaving, he told me that he loves me,” Anna squealed as she reminisced, “I even said I love him back.” _

_ At that moment Elena’s heart sank as she held back tears. “That’s- That’s really cute of you both…” Elena tried her best to put on a smile as she handed Annalisse the ointment. _

_ “U-um, h-hey, Anna, I gotta leave early today. I need to help my mom on something… you know how she is,” Elena gave out a lame excuse to leave as she felt herself about to burst any time soon. _

_ “But- I just got here…” Anna countered, her voice laced with sadness. _

_ “I-I’m really sorry but I have to go… I’ll… see you tomorrow, Anna.” Elena gave her a quick hug and ran off, not even daring to look back as her eyes went blurry and tears finally escaped. _

_ On her way home as she was furiously trying to dry her eyes, she had bumped onto something, or someone. _

_ “Oh- Uhm, sorry,” the person beat her to the apology, even though it was Elena who had carelessly bumped into him. “I shouldn’t have been standing in the way- Are you alright?” he asked Elena with genuine concern. _

_ Elena sniffed, “Sorry, i-its nothing…” She waited for her eyes to gain focus before looking at the person she was taking to. _

_ “I’m Kier, by the way. Kier Jonah, I just moved here. And you are?” He stuck out his hand for a handshake. _

_ As Elena looked into Kier’s glistening eyes, something just clicked inside of her, and her heart started beating faster. She fell for him at first sight. “I-I’m Elena… Elena Lee Rush,” she replied breathlessly as she shook his hand. _

Magic always finds a way or two. Love is like magic, and sometimes we get disenchanted. For better, or for worse.


	13. Origins: ELEVEN

Elena sipped some water before sighing. “I eventually got over the little crush I had for Anna — please don’t tell her anything about it! Kier and I got married a few years after my mother passed, then Annalisse and Martin did just three months after mine. My marriage didn’t work out, though… Kier- he grew distant and,” Elena gulped, “secretive… I should’ve learned from him instead of doing the same thing myself, I’m sorry, Pumpkin…”

Gerard gave her a little smile before mouthing, “It’s okay,” and gesturing for her to continue.

“My husband died a few weeks before your mother, Donna, was born though. Uh, the- the doctors said it was because of… b-brain hemor-hemorrhage? Yeah, I believe it was that…” Elena tried to compose herself as she drank some more. “Raising a child on my own, with no help or prior knowledge was like learning magic all over again… Anna was there to help, but she also had a child of her own to take care of… I tried to live a normal life with her, no magic or any funny business, just a normal mother and daughter life, but Donna grew rebellious at such a young age… Maybe because she felt empty, having to grow up without a father by her side… She was sneaking off to clubs, drinking underage and doing drugs. The place where she went to got raided by the police one time… She almost got caught. It scared her to bits, so she finally decided to become sober and live clean. We got to live the simple and peaceful life that we wanted… Until she brought home her boyfriend.”

Elena inhaled deeply and bit her lower lip. “I may have freaked out far too much, because of the contract, the price I paid… It was so close to getting redeemed…” Elena’s breathing became shaky as she continued. “I told Donna that I didn’t approve of their relationship, and on the same night I felt I had to do something about it; I had to find a way to save the fate of her child, to make sure you survived without the thing that would be taken away from you, so I read through my books and found out that turning someone into a vampire would devoid them of their human essence, unlike werewolves who only get their essense altered when they transform. The other ones were definitely out of the possible options; they were either too risky or simply irrelevant to the dilemma… So I did what the book told me to do and turned you into a vampire before you were even conceived. I’d say it was a close call really, because as soon as I finished the ritual, your mother ran away with Donald. But as I already did what I could to avoid what might’ve been a catastrophe, I called her up and told her that I take back what I’d said, and I gave them my approval. They came home about two days after, and weeks later, Donna found out she was pregnant with you…

“I didn’t tell her anything about what I did; she never knew I dabbled with magic. I thought I could just play it cool with you being what you are, but I guess she was never quite the accepting type… She didn’t approve of what you were without even knowing what exactly you were in the first place, so I figured… I could not let her raise you, and she wasn’t really planning to anyways. I’m sorry, Pumpkin-”

Gerard took a deep breath and shook his head, “No, it’s okay… Don’t be sorry, Grandma. I get it now… You only did what you knew was right. You saved me even though you didn’t really have to. I should be eternally thankful for that.” Gerard gave a soft smile as he stood up to hug Elena. “I’m sorry I was a butt; I shouldn’t have been so pushy to ‘know the truth’ and all that.”

Elena pulled Gerard into a tight hug and set him on her lap as she cradled him. “I’m sorry for not being truthful with you, my little one… You deserved to know the truth about yourself.” They stayed like that for a few minutes before Elena remembered something. “I think I should also tell you about this other thing… about Ray. I asked Anna to stop him from seeing you… because he started becoming friends with Mikey.”

Gerard frowned in confusion. “Their neighbor’s kid? What about him?” Elena shot him a look, letting her grandson figure it out on his own. It took Gerard a solid minute before he gasped in realization. “Is he- Is Mikey my brother?” he excitedly asked.

Elena nodded as she laughed. “Yes, yes he is. I got scared that Ray might figure it out and tell you before I could… Originally, though, Annalisse settled down next door to Donna’s house to keep an eye on you in case I couldn’t frequently visit, but she ended up looking after Mikey through Ray instead.” Elena shook her head and pursed her lips. “Maybe now you understand why I didn’t let you see him when you and Ray asked to, around two years ago.”

Gerard smiled and nodded, “Yeah, I do now…” He sighed as all of his pent up anger and questions left. He finally had some peace of mind.

“I’ll let you meet him next friday.” Elena blurted out.

“Wait, what?”

“I just thought, you might want to meet your brother. Before you decline my offer! I finally found a spell that will make a person unable to recognize you, so I guess, if I enchant you with it, you can choose to make your parents not recognize you at all! I can also give you the guide for hypnosis in case things go wrong, too. It’s on the book about vampires somewhere on the bookshelf.” Elena gave him a hopeful look. Gerard could only stare with his mouth agape.

“Are-are you serious?!” he exclaimed as a huge smile crept across his face. “I- I get to meet Mikey? My-” Gerard squealed so hard as he hugged Elena tightly once more. “I get to meet my brother…” he breathed.

Elena hugged back as she smiled. “Want to learn hypnosis today? We can do it after dinner. The earlier you start, the sooner you’ll be able to master it,” Elena suggested as she pulled away from the hug.

Gerard nodded vigorously “Yeah! After that, I’m gonna be so cool, like- like, Dracula.”

Elena snorted from her grandson’s enthusiasm, “Just don’t overuse it, Pumpkin. Always keep in mind that every action has their own set of consequences,” she warned him.

Gerard gave her a smile, “I know. I’ll be careful, I promise,” he assured her he climbed out of the recliner and fixed his ruffled shirt.

Elena stood up and reverted the recliner back into its original form before the she and Gerard made their way to the kitchen for dinner. She fixed up a quick dish with her grandson’s help. They made some tidtad without the garlic and with extra pig’s blood. It was a recipe she had learned from a travelling mangkukulam who she came across with a couple of years ago.

“So this hypnosis thing,” Gerard started after he swallowed a mouthful of the dish, “how come you’ve never done it before to anyone? It would’ve been really convenient and all that.”

Elena raised an eyebrow. “Convenient, huh? Well, the guide book we have is only applicable to vampires who already have the ability in them, like an innate capability that they just have to channel to activate and control. I could pick up a book on hypnosis for humans, but that would require a person to practice on, and it’s dangerous as it may mess up their brain. It takes a lot of energy too, unlike with a vampire who can even use it on a person's reflection, as long as they can get a good look into the person’s eyes,” she explained, based on what she had previously read.

Gerard was fascinated by the facts. “Oh man, that is so cool and scary at the same time. Like, what if a vampire gets mind controlled to mind control other people? That’s like, a lot of mind control. Mind control-ception…”

Elena chuckled. “Remind me to find a spell to counter mind control for you then. We don’t want you to get mind controlled to mind control others.” The two of them laughed and continued eating their meal.

After the plates and cutlery were washed and stored away, Elena called up a volunteer from the woods she’d hang out at. It was a little bit farther than before, as she’d moved out of her mother’s house when she married, but it was still reachable by a half-an-hour drive. The woods was spread out with different entrances anyway; even if she didn’t go to the exact place she usually goes to, she’d still reach her destination.

Elena came home with the volunteer around thirty past eight. Gerard had eagerly greeted the two at the doorway as Elena parked the car in the garage. “Gerard, I’d like you to meet Bandit. They’re a rock troll from the woods I told you about.” She gestured between the the two of them as she introduced them to one another.

“Heya kid! ready to stay up way past your bedtime?” Bandit asked enthusiastically as they shook hands with him.

Gerard giggled, “Ready as I’ll ever be! Thank you for volunteering for this. Are you gonna be alright though? I heard that hypnosis done wrong may damage a person’s brain.”

The rock troll snorted fondly, “Don’t worry about a thing. Hypnosis only works on us for a few seconds, a minute at most. It’s actually because our brains are mainly composed of rocks.”

Gerard gasped, “I did not see that coming. I thought the rock parts were just outside and you guys have… fleshy organs inside-”

Elena tried her best to stop herself from laughing, unlike Bandit who cackled loudly. “Kid, you still have a lot to learn. So let’s get on with your hypnosis practice, shall we?” Gerard nodded with a grin and Elena had led them down at the basement to start with the lesson.

The day was such a wild ride for Elena and Gerard, but at least it has ended peacefully. The secrets had been like a clog in a kitchen sink that hindered the flow of the water down the drain; it stopped the trust from flowing between Elena and Gerard. As Elena spilled them, it felt like a turmoil with the water spiralling too fast at first, but in the end, the hindrance was gone, and it felt relieving.

Elena got out from the shadow of her lies, and she was determined to fix the damages it has caused them.

_ Even a small genuine effort can mend the biggest mistakes. Not overnight, but it works nonetheless. _


	14. Origins: TWELVE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHH I'M SO SORRY FOR HOW LATE THIS UPDATE IS!!!!!! LIFE'S BEEN ABSOLUTELY INSANE >~<

Gerard waited by the car as the sun rose and gave his ice cold skin some tingling warmth that early friday morning. He had skillfully mastered hypnosis after five nights of practice with Bandit and his grandmother Elena. The spell that would make him unrecognizable to anyone by his will was carefully enchanted onto him too. Fear and excitement swirled inside of him, but the former was stronger; he was determined to finally meet Mikey.

“You ready, Pumpkin?” Elena asked as she locked the doors of their house and reached for the car keys in her purse. Gerard gave a firm nod and rubbed his skin where it had been slightly irritated by sunlight.

Elena unlocked the car and the both of them got in with Gerard riding shotgun. Before Elena started the car, she took out a spray bottle from her purse and gave it to Gerard. “What’s this?” Gerard asked curiously as he took the thing, staring at an iridescent liquid contained inside of it; it looked like gold paint swirling in clear water.

“It’s a special sunblock I made,” Elena explained as she started the car and started to drive. “Normal sunscreen and sunblock won’t exactly work, you know. The stuff is too weak and too… commercial.”

Gerard nodded understandingly and proceeded to spray his exposed skin with the sunblock. “I’m so glad that I’m not like the vampires in fiction stuff who disintegrate into dust if they get touched by sunlight,” he sighed in relief and chuckled.

“Oh please. That was definitely just fiction. An over-dramatization of a vampire’s sensitive skin maybe?” Elena chuckled.

It was a twenty minute drive at most. The two of them were mostly silent in their journey while songs from the bands called Fall Out Boy and Green Day played in the car radio. Gerard liked those bands and he’d sing along in a few parts.

As they approached the neighborhood, Elena pulled up inside an opening in the forest, and both of them got out of the car. She then reached far inside her little purse. A thick book that would be physically impossible to fit inside a purse that small emerged within her grasp. “Let’s see…” she mumbled as she flipped through the pages. After she had found the one she was looking for, she proceeded to take deep breaths and then whispered a spell. Soon enough, they were inside a house similar to theirs with a few small changes.

“This was a little incantation I used when I was getting courted by Kier. I used it on our old, trashy house so I’d look nice and presentable. It also solved the neighbor problems my mom and I had; it convinced them that we were completely society-acceptable individuals, no questions asked,” Elena reminisced as she stored away the book back inside her purse. “It’s just a mid-level spell though, and it’ll only work within a few miles radius from where it’s casted. When both of us leave, things will go back to normal without anyone of them noticing changes, but it’ll take effect again once one of us comes back. Everything here is  _ technically  _ real for now. It’s like a hybrid of a hypnotising spell and a materialising spell, like a watered down reality bending curse that is far too complicated and dangerous to execute; one wrong use of it can rip our very fabric of reality apart,” she explained. “Now, to make this disguise thing smoother, we’ve got to have different identities ourselves we could trick some chosen people with. It doesn’t exactly have to affect everyone here, just those we have to convince.”

Gerard’s eyes lit up, “Like undercover spies?” he squealed.

Elena chuckled fondly. “I guess you can put it that way.” She leaned over the wall. “Keep this in mind, okay?” Elena warned. “In this reality, I’ll be your aunt Marie Lee while you are Arthur Lee. You can add more lies, but you can’t reveal your identity or the spell’s effect on that person will be lifted, so be extra careful.”

Gerard nodded firmly and giggled to himself in excitement. “Okay. I’m Arthur Lee. You’re Aunt Marie, and I am now in my best liar mode.”

Elena nodded approvingly. “Just know when to lie and when to tell the truth, got it?” Gerard flashed her a toothy grin and two thumbs up. Elena grinned and kissed her grandson in the forehead “Now, have fun and be careful out there okay? I’ll follow you shortly and stay at Anna’s place so if you need something, I’ll be nearby. You’ll find Mikey a few blocks on the left side of the street. He’s probably playing with Ray right now.”

Gerard squealed and kissed her cheek before rushing from the house and racing his way towards Mikey’s.

It was exhilarating. Every inch of Gerard was practically bursting with joy and excitement. ‘Just a few more blocks…’ he thought to himself as he sped up. He stopped in his tracks as he saw a familiar floof of hair with a kid who looked a lot like him. “Baby brother!”

Ray and the kid’s looked at Gerard in surprise. Ray looked like he was trying to solve an impossible puzzle, then stared at Gerard with wide eyes. Before he and Gerard had the chance to react, the kid spoke up. “Me? That’s impossible, Mom and Dad said I’m their only child. You aren’t my brother.”

Gerard’s heart sunk. The plan was falling apart along with him. “O-oh,” he muttered weakly. He had to pull himself together if he wished to salvage what was left of the plan. Mikey and Ray were about to carry on their conversation about how crayons taste when Gerard cleared his throat to gain the two’s attention once again. When they looked at him in the eye, he summoned up his energy and his eyes glowed red. “You didn’t see or hear what I’ve said.”

After staring at the two kids in front of him, Gerard closed his eyes and wished for the best. A small tug on his sleeve made him open his eyes, in front of his was the innocent looking boy that looked awfully a lot like him now that he’d seen his face more closely.

“Hey, are you new here? Wanna come play with my friend and me?” little Michael asked with kind, cheerful eyes.

“O-oh uhm, yes. I’d… love that.” Gerard nodded, trying to keep cool. This was it, it was finally happening. He’d finally get to play with his dearest little brother.

“What’s your name?” the kid asked while holding Gerard’s hand, pulling him towards their yard.

“Uh, i-it’s… Arthur. Arthur Lee,” Gerard stuttered.

“I’m Michael, but people call me Mikey, and my friend right there is Raymond, but you can call him Ray for short,” Mikey said as he plopped himself down in his spot and ushered Gerard to sit beside him. Gerard awkwardly waved at Ray before sitting down. Ray was still looking at him funny, but he waved back nonetheless.

“So, uh, what’re you guys playing?” Gerard asked Mikey, looking at the sprawled out toys in the picnic blanket they’ve set up.

“We’re doing make believe,” Mikey replied nonchalantly, picking up a pony figurine. “I’m Ryro, a magical pony on a quest to become a unicorn.”

Gerard nods. “How about you, Ray?”

Ray shrugged, “I’m supposed to be his pet dino. I help him on his quest.” Gerard and Ray exchanged weirded out looks, but neither of them said anything.

“O...kay then?” Gerard said, trying not to overthink Mikey’s weirdness.

“Here,” Mikey handed Gerard a figurine of an alien wearing a trenchcoat and shades “You can be the magic dealer.” The little kid grinned.

Gerard took the figurine with caution, “I think I’m gonna call myself Lola,” he declared with a smile.

“Wait, is that a girl’s name or a boy’s name? I don’t wanna misgender you,” Ray cautiously asked him.

Gerard lightly chuckled, “Lola is traditionally a girl’s name, but I think I’m aiming for androgynous, so ‘they’ will work the best.”

Ray nodded and smiled while Mikey’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s ando genius?” the kid asked.

“Andro-gynous. Uhm, to make it simple, it means I’m both a girl and a boy?” Gerard tried to explain.

“Oh okay, cool.” Mikey nodded, not questioning anything.

“So, where did you guys left off?” Gerard asked. Mikey and Ray happily filled him up with the details of their adventures so far and Gerard had picked up the story quickly and joined in.

About an hour or two later, bargains had been made, a soul got traded for a horn, Mikey had been tickled intensely by Gerard, and a crayon had ended up stuck in Ray’s nose. It was a roleplay well-ended.

The three of them were laughing as they recall their adventures when Donna called out, “Mikey! come inside now, dear. It’s lunchtime!” A feeling of nervousness crept up Gerard when she appeared on the front porch, but it all melted away when she approached him with a warm smile. “Why hello there, I didn’t know Mikey had a new friend. What’s your name, sweetie?”

“His name’s Arthur,” Mikey answered for him as he stood up and fixed his shirt. “He just moved here today.”

Gerard stood up and was about to shake her hand before she pulls him up for a hug. “Welcome to the neighborhood, Arthur. You seem like a good kid. You’re welcome to come by our house anytime,” she grinned. Gerard almost cried.

It was the first time he’d ever felt his mother’s embrace.

“Would you boys like to stay for lunch?” she asked Gerard and Ray.

“Uhm, no, I’m good, Ma’am,” Ray smiled politely.“I-I can’t stay too. I’m sorry, I gotta, uhm, go back to Aunt Marie, I promised I won’t stay out long…” Gerard made an alibi, not trusting himself around his mother; he’d already had a slip with Mikey and Ray, and he was not ready to mess up again.

“If you say so,” Donna shrugged and bid Gerard and Ray goodbye before ushering Mikey inside the house with her. Mikey was about to go enter before he ran back to Gerard, hugging him. “I hope you come back, I like playing with you,” Mikey said grinning. “You’re like the brother I never had.”

Mikey left quickly after and Gerard just stood there trying to stay calm, tears threatening to fall down.

“Gerard, are you okay?” Ray asked.“N-no, I’m fine. I just-” Gerard stopped mid-sentence as he noticed something. “Did you- did you just call me Gerard?”

“Uhm, yes? I mean, you did say your name is Arthur, but I’m pretty sure you’re Gerard. Like, Gerard… Rush?” Ray’s eyebrows furrowed.

“It’s Way, actually…” Gerard corrected him as he tried to understand what was happening.

He then remembered the look on Ray’s face and his words “ _ You didn’t see or hear what I’ve said. _ ” Ray had figured it out before the hypnosis took effect. Elena’s spell was not working on him anymore.

“Way? Holy crap, you’re Mikey’s brother?!” Ray suddenly exclaimed as he picked up the pieces and figured it out.

Gerard quickly covered Ray’s mouth and whisper-yelled, “N-no, please keep your voice down! They shouldn’t know!”

Ray’s face showed pure confusion and wriggled away from Gerard’s hands “What? Dude, you should let them know! They could’ve been looking for you or- or something. You’ve seen Mrs. Way, she likes you already, and she doesn’t even know that you’re her son! You’ve got to tell her or I will!” Ray threatened.

It was true that Ray only wanted to unite his friend to his family, remembering that he’d seen Gerard sad whenever the topic of family came around and the way that he kept on saying that he wished to have a brother, but he didn’t really know the risks and the bigger complications that were waiting to happen, and it was too hard to explain for him to fully understand.

Ray turned on his heel and was about to go to the Ways when Gerard spun him around and grasped him by the shoulders, rougher than he planned. Ray gasped in pain, “Gerard, what the heck do you think you’re doing?!” He panicked and thrashed around.

Gerard was losing options right here and he needs to think fast and one solution popped up in his head. That was the only way to fix the problem. Summoning all the energy he could, he tried to steady Ray to get a good look on his eyes, but when Ray understood what was happening he forced his eyes shut. Gerard groaned and tackled him on the ground, sitting on top of him while keeping his eyes open with his hands. Ray squirmed badly underneath him in complete state of panic. “I’m sorry.” Gerard muttered before looking directly into Ray’s eyes, taking in a clear reflection of his own.

“Please don’t do this!” Ray pleaded.

Gerard just shook his head before his eyes glowed red. “Everything we know about each other shall be erased. The first encounter we’ve had with each other was the game with Mikey. We never fought, and this never happened.” Gerard felt a slight tingling at the back of his head as he stumbled off of Ray and laid down on the grass beside him. There were huge chunks of memories to remove and alter and it was taking a lot of his energy. Gerard started to feel weakened and felt like he was about to pass out. Before he did, he saw a familiar figure of a woman approached him.

A few minutes later, Gerard had finally opened his eyes. The place he woke up at was unfamiliar to him, but the board games, comics, and other items said that it was definitely a kid’s room.

“Arthur, you’re finally awake!” the kid with the fluffy hair from earlier exclaimed as he approached him. “You passed out after our little adventure with Mikey, buddy,” he chuckled “Good thing your Aunt Marie came by and carried you. You’re in my room by the way.” Ray grinned.

Gerard slowly propped himself up, still a little bit disoriented. “Oh, uhm, sorry for the bother… Ray was it?” he asked, voice laced with uncertainty.

Ray nodded enthusiastically “Yeah. Now come on, your aunt is waiting for you at the living room.” Gerard stood up with Ray’s help and they went to meet up with Elena.

Annalisse and Elena were having a chat when the two boys entered the room. “Pumpkin!” Elena rushed to Gerard and examined him. “How are you feeling now?”

“I feel a little bit light-headed, but I’m okay,” Gerard replied while fiddling with his thumbs.

“Well, let’s get you home so you can rest better, okay?” Elena pushed away the stray locks of hair on Gerard’s forehead that were dampened by his sweat. Gerard nodded weakly.

Elena turned to her friend, “Well, we’ll best be going now. Thank you for having us, Anna.”

“No worries. Come visit us anytime,  _ Marie _ .” Annalisse grinned. Elena tried to supress a chuckle before waving her and Ray goodbye.

When they’ve set out on their car and headed home, Elena asked her grandson about his day and how it turned out. Gerard smiled lazily, clearly still drained and out of it. “It was fun,” he said as he slumped down his seat, playing with his seatbelt. “I almost messed up, but it’s okay, I fixed it. Now I have friends. Mikey said I was like the brother he never had and it almost made me cry, and then there’s Ray. I’ve only met him today yet he let me sleep on his bed, like, wow that’s so cool of him.” Elena made a worried glance at him. Only met him today?

_ Something was off, she could sense it from Gerard’s current state, and what he’d just said was giving her a clue as to what happened. _


	15. Update: Nothing to Worry About

Hey everybody!!! This is just a little heads up, but Oniphobia and I are gonna have to take a brief hiatus. Things have gotten  _very_ busy since school started back up, and we no longer have pre-written chapters ready to go so. We're still working on this fic!!!! I swear to god we are; updates are just going to become few and far between. We'll get them out to you as soon as possible, though. Thank you all for reading!! It means a lot to both of us. :)  <3

\- cattheneko

**Author's Note:**

> Oniphobia: wow you made it to the end :^D lmao
> 
> comment down and tell us what you think of it maybe?  
> join in the neck romancer amino for announcements, discussions, and more?? (since I'm most active there hhh)  
> I love yall, thank you so much for reading this???
> 
> cattheneko: Hella check out the art Oni did for this AU, btw; it's so freaking good. And while the chapters will tend to be on the shorter side, the actual length of this is LONG. AS. FUCK. Slow build means snail pace build, but it's so fucking worth it, trust me. This fic gets intense. (Also if you see any grammatical errors, those are my fault; please point them out so they can get fixed. ;~;)


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